Kali Puja: Calcutta HC restricts entry of visitors in pandals

Kolkata, Nov 3 (IANS) After Durga Puja, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday barred the entry of visitors inside the pandals for Kali Puja and Jagadhatri Puja.

Hearing a PIL filed by an environmentalist, the division bench of Justice Rajasekhara Mantha and Justice Kesang Doma Bhutia directed that all necessary steps be taken to prevent the crowd from entering the pandals.

Warning the police to be more cautious while managing the crowd, the bench asked the police and the administration to be more proactive so that the crowd can be stopped before entering the pandals.

"During Durga Puja, there was a huge rush of visitors and this led to the increase of Covid infection," it said.

Citing his personal experience, Justice Mantha said: "It is difficult to stop people at festivals like Sabarimala, Jalikattu, Durga Puja. My colleagues got held for two-three hours because of the 'Burj Khalifa' Durga pandal. The same thing happened in Deshapriya Park several years ago."

The court observed that people will have to show more civic sense and responsibility. Being fully vaccinated or wearing a mask does not give one the freedom or unchecked entry into pandals during the pujas, it added.

The bench was referring to the crowd during Durga puja where despite the High Court order, over-enthusiastic people thronged several puja pandas in the city. The court asked the administration to control the crowd in the same way they controlled during Kali Puja and Jagadhatri Puja last year.

In a separate order, the High Court cited the Supreme Court's verdict and allowed the bursting of 'green crackers' for two hours - between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

It had earlier put a blanket ban on the sale and use of crackers in the state. However, the Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed green crackers following which a bench of the high court allowed environment-friendly crackers, giving relief to the businessmen.