Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to lay the foundation stone of the Mahakal temple near Siliguri in the second week of January, city mayor Gautam Deb said on Friday.

The foundation-laying ceremony may take place during her visit to north Bengal. Mamata is scheduled to attend the inauguration of the permanent building of Calcutta High Court’s Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench on January 17.

“There are indications that the chief minister may lay the foundation stone of the Mahakal temple on January 16. But this decision will be taken only by her, and we cannot comment definitively on the matter,” Deb said when asked about the programme.

He visited the site for the temple, along with officials of the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (HIDCO), the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA), the Darjeeling district administration, senior officials of the Siliguri metropolitan police and representatives of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Friday.

On December 5, the HIDCO had initiated a preliminary land survey for the plot located on the northwestern outskirts of Siliguri, where the state government plans to construct the shrine. The project was announced by the chief minister in October last year.

According to sources, the temple will be built on a 17-acre plot and managed by a trust formed by the state.

Speaking to the media later at the SMC headquarters, the mayor said the project aimed to promote religious tourism and create new economic opportunities for the city.

Drawing from his experience during his five-year tenure as a minister in the state’s tourism department, Deb said initiatives like the Iskcon temple and the Bengal Safari Park had already helped attract tourists to the region.

“Despite these developments, Siliguri is still largely seen as a transit point rather than a destination for extended stays. Once the Mahakal Temple is completed, we expect a massive influx of pilgrims, which will benefit hotels, traders, and the local economy as a whole,” he said.

The plan to lay the foundation stone of the temple by the middle of this month has assumed significance as it will be almost at the same time when the Prime Minister might flag off the first Vande Bharat sleeper train that will connect Howrah with Kamakhya in Assam. The train route will cover vast areas of Bengal.

“As the elections are drawing near, both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have recast their focus on north Bengal, which has 54 Assembly seats. Today, on one hand, the mayor hinted that the chief minister would be here to lay the foundation stone of the temple. On the other hand, the Centre floated the tender for the new bridge that would come over the Teesta river and connect Sevoke Bazaar with the Dooars,” said a political observer.