Kolkata, 19th October: All Durga Puja pandals in West Bengal have been declared as a no-entry zone. Only organizers can enter the pandals. Names of people allowed to enter the pandals to be displayed outside it.
Calcutta High Court, on Monday, emphasized that “when students across schools, colleges or in higher studies have not attended the educational institutions for almost six months and several students stand to lose a year, it is rather incongruous that puja festivities be permitted to continued as earlier years.”
“However, now that pandals have already come up and were no curbs in the state, the common citizen should be discouraged to gather in the pandals. The measures that have been announced by the state are well-planned but without a proper blueprint to be implemented on the ground. The apprehension that crowding could lead to an uncontrollable burst in the number of people afflicted by the virus. The police cannot be blamed with limited resources at their disposal,” the court further said.
With Durga Puja just around the corner, the Calcutta High Court’s decision comes as a major setback for the citizens of Bengal. However, the decision comes in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The judge also said, “the virus refuses to go away. Though the healthcare facilities had been augmented with limited rescources available. In this situation than to allow festivities to go on without any checks and repent when the time to cure arrives and adequate resources are not available therefore.”
Reportedly, only organisers will be allowed inside the pandals. The court also highlighted that five metres beyond the limits of the small pandals and 10 metres beyond the bigger pandals are to be barricaded and demarcated as no-entry zones.