Kolkata: Calcutta High Court on Friday gave a conditional nod to Gangasagar Mela and made a committee of three members including state Chief Secretary, one member of Human Rights Commission and Leader of Opposition.
According to High Court sources, in the committee the state Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and one member of the Human rights commission will monitor the entire fair so that the pandemic protocol is not broken.
“The court has asked the state government to implement Gangasagar Mela Act and declare that it should be a notified area. More than 50 people are not allowed to assemble at religious places,” said the High Court sources.
Sources also mentioned that in case of any breaking of protocol the three-member committee should inform the state government.
The High Court has also instructed Home Secretary BP Gopalika to give advertisements in both print and electronic media and urge people not to attend the fair so as to avoid further surge in the Covid cases.
Meanwhile, RT-PCR tests are performed on saints visiting Kolkata from other states to attend the fair and several people were tested positive.
BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya also urged people not to attend the fair in large numbers and also requested the other state governments not to send people in Bengal to attend the fair.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray slammed BJP for not letting Gangasagar Mela happen.
“There is no restriction in Kumbh Mela and fair in Ujjain but the BJP just to politicize always tries to disrupt Gangasagar Mela with or without pandemic. Pilgrims mostly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar attend this fair so those governments should restrict people to visit Bengal,” mentioned Ray.
