State authorities instructed the court docket that grant was meant for elevating consciousness on COVID-19 management
Kolkata:
The Calcutta Excessive Court docket on Thursday sought to know from the West Bengal authorities its justification for doling out Rs 50,000 to group Durga pujas, amid the austerity measures being pursued by the state within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listening to a petition difficult the federal government’s resolution to disburse Rs 50,000 to group Durga pujas, a division bench comprising justices Sanjib Banerjee and Arijit Banerjee additionally enquired if monetary support was being given for different festivals, similar to Eid.
It additional requested the state whether or not any guideline has been laid down for such expenditure as it’s public cash that’s being doled out as grant to the puja organisers.
The state authorities, on its half, instructed the court docket that grant was meant for elevating public consciousness on COVID-19 management, buy of sanitisers and masks.
Asserting that accounts of expenditure must be effectively maintained, the bench instructed that Advocate Common Kishore Dutta, who represents the state, and senior counsel Bikash Bhattacharya, showing for the petitioner, maintain a convention on all such issues, and inform the court docket of its consequence on Friday, when the case can be taken up for listening to once more.
The court docket additionally requested whether or not any blueprint for crowd management throughout Durga Puja — which is barely every week away have been ready by the federal government to stop the unfold of the viral illness.
The petition, difficult the grant of Rs 50,000 and different advantages — similar to reductions on software charges for permissions from Hearth Brigade and electrical provide boards — to hundreds of group Durga Pujas, was filed by Sourav Dutta, a Centre of Indian Commerce Unions (CITU) chief.
Dutta claimed that the federal government’s resolution was not in tune with the idea of secularism in India, and hurts the elemental rights supplied within the Structure.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on September 24 introduced a grant of Rs 50,000, amongst different doles, for every of the state’s puja committees.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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