Kolkata:
Kolkata's grief over the loss of Jyoti Basu has been visible. Thousands of people have filled the streets to pay their last respects to the man who served as West Bengal's Chief Minister for 23 years.
On Tuesday, Basu's body will be donated by his family to a local hospital for medical research.
At 7.30 am, his body will leave Peace Haven, an undertaker, for the CPM office on Alimuddin Street. Between 8 and 9 am here, senior party leaders and Politburo members will pay their respects.
The cortege will then move at 9.15 am from Alimuddin Road (via AJC Bose Rd via Lenin Sarani) to Writers Buildings.
There, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and senior bureaucrats will lay a wreath on Basu.
At 10 am, Basu will be moved to the Assembly for four hours. The public and VIPs will pay homage here together. The Army is in charge of this part of the proceedings.
At 3 pm, Basu is expected to be moved to the Citizens' Park for a 21-gun salute.
At 4 pm, Basu's body will be taken to PG Hospital.
As West Bengal mourns the death of its former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, the state government declared a two-day state mourning and a paid state holiday on Monday in all government offices. The national flag would fly at half-mast atop all government offices and establishments.
(Read: Jyoti Basu passes away at 95)A state funeral will be held on Tuesday. Leaders from across the world are likely to arrive in Kolkata to pay tributes to Basu. Apart from foreign dignitaries like representatives of Communist parties in China, Cuba and Venezuela and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, prominent leaders from India like Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior BJP leader L K Advani too are likely to attend Basu's funeral.
(Pics: Jyoti Basu's final journey)(Also read: Challenges before Left post Jyoti Basu)