Amid rising number of Covid-19 cases in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court on Friday gave conditional permission to Gangasagar Mela which commences on Janaury 8. The court appointed a three-member committee to monitor if all rules are being followed at the fair.
The Covid positivity rate in Kolkata is 53.10% while it is 19.98% in South 24 Parganas district, where Gangasagar island is located, according to the Ministry Health & Family Welfare’s (MoHFW) data from December 31 to Janaury 6.
The proposed Committee, which will comprise the Chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, leader of Opposition and a representative of the state, will oversee compliance issues of the fair and have the power to recommend to the court a ban on entry to Sagar Island if any violation of safety norms is noted, the court directed. The bench directed formation of a three-member committee to oversee strict adherence of the restrictions imposed by the state government since apprehension has been expressed by the West Bengal Doctors’ Forum that measures suggested by the state in an affidavit are merely “paper suggestions” and will not be implemented in practice.
The division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Kesang Doma Bhutia on Friday asked the state government to take a decision to declare Sagar Island as “notified area”.
Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/calcutta-hc-gives-conditional-permission-to-gangasagar-mela/articleshow/88767374.cms
