Calcutta High Court바카라s upholding of its verdict banning entry of visitors in the state바카라s community Durga Puja pandals has visibly left the leaders of the state바카라s ruling party, Mamata Banerjee바카라s Trinamool Congress (TMC), an upset lot.
The division bench of Justices Sanjib Banerjee and Arijit Banerjee on Wednesday upheld its Monday verdict of banning the entry of visitors inside the puja pandals while hearing a review petition filed by Forum for Durgotsav, an umbrella of Kolkata바카라s major Durga puja organisers.
The court, however, relaxed the restrictions on the entry of organisers inside the pandal.
In the evening, Mamata Banerjee바카라s close confidante Firhad Hakim expressed his dissatisfaction on the verdict.
바카라We can바카라t make a comment on a court바카라s order. All I want to say is that the youngsters are getting depressed (due to Covid-19 restrictions). They are suffering from mental problems. They wanted to have some fun. Durga Puja is such a big thing. Celebrating it will caution was the responsibility of the people,바카라 state urban development minister Firhad Hakim said.
바카라And then, everything from shopping malls and restaurants to bars remain open. Only Durga Puja pandals are closed,바카라 said Hakim, who himself is the main organiser of one of Kolkata바카라s major Durga Pujas, the one of Chetla Agrani Club.
The TMC seemed upset with the ruling because chief minister Mamata Banerjee had decided not to impose any strict restriction on the Durga Puja festivities, the state바카라s largest annual festival.
Debangshu Bhattacharya, a TMC state unit spokesperson, said the restrictions would hurt marginal traders, hawkers and food stall owners who largely depend on the income from the festive season for the whole year바카라s sustenance.
바카라Most of our leaders are associated with Durga Puja organising and this gives us a good opportunity of reviving public contact,바카라 said a senior TMC minister who did not want to be named.
Incidentally, senior TMC Lok Sabha MP and senior leader Kalyan Banerjee represented Forum for Durgotsav in its review petition against the division bench바카라s Monday verdict. During the hearing on Wednesday, Banerjee had urged the court to allow entry of visitors for three days in the evening. The court did not agree.
Due to the state바카라s steadily rising Covid-19 graph 바카라 it recorded more than 4,000 cases on a day for the first time on Tuesday 바카라 health experts had been apprehending a major spike in the number Covid-19 cases after the festival.
A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)바카라s state unit said that Mamata Banerjee was trying to play with people바카라s sentiments around the festival keeping in mind the Assembly elections due next year.
However, the high court order seems to have failed to dampen the 바카라puja spirit바카라 of the festival enthusiasts, as people continued to be on the streets and travelled to major puja pandals to have a look at them from outside.
People were also seen gathering outside the puja pandals or crowding roadside eateries and temporary food stalls. The five-day festival formally starts on Thursday but people have started hitting the streets over the past four days.
According to the court바카라s order, the organisers need to put up barricades 10 meters ahead of major pandals and 5 meters ahead of small pandals. 바카라The director-general of state police will have to submit a report before the division bench detailing compliance of the court바카라s order,바카라 said Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya, the advocate of the petitioner in the public interest litigation that led to the court ruling. Bhattacharya is also a Rajya Sabha MP of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
While most of the major puja organisers in the city have already put up these barricades, pandal hoppers were seen gathering outside the barricade of these major pujas.
바카라Pandal hopping is not only about the pandals, it바카라s also about the walk with friends and family,바카라 said Sumit Bhattacharya, a college student who had gone out along with his friends to walk along the route of some major pujas in south Kolkata.
