Mamata govt's Rs 50k Durga Puja committee doles called out; Calcutta HC questions intent

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday questioned West Bengal government’s intent after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced doles for Durga puja committees. The observation was made by a division bench of Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Arijit Banerjee over a public interest litigation filed by Saurav Dutt, a trade union leader questioning the reason behind the government's announcement of giving doles to Durga puja committees.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced Rs. 50,000 for each Durga puja committee in the state. The division bench questioned the state on whether the doles are only offered to Durga puja committees or whether the same protocol is followed for other festivals as well. The court asked whether the government offers doles like this in a democratic setup.

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The bench also observed that the government is giving funds for mask and sanitisers for the puja committees. In that case, the state government should have procured masks and sanitisers centrally and distributed it to the clubs, it would have saved money, said the bench at Calcutta High Court.

The court asked that at a time when schools, colleges were closed due to the pandemic, how is the government allowing the grand celebrations. The hearing for the matter ended on Thursday afternoon and is scheduled to be continued on Friday again by a division bench of Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Arijit Banerjee at Calcutta High Court.

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