Viswa Bharati: Businessmen association objects to fencing of Poush Mela ground

Kolkata: Members of Bolpur businessmen association objected to any move to fence the heritage Poush Mela ground in Shantiniketan during a meeting with the High Court appointed committee, Viswa Bharati authorities and other stakeholders to resolve the stalemate over demarcating the area.

Members of Bolpur Byabasayee Samity walked out of the meeting on Saturday alleging the committee members were indirectly supporting the move of Viswa Bharati university to fence the fair ground area.

Samity Secretary Sunil Singh said: "We feel our views are not being given due recognition by the committee. But we made our stand clear against building any boundary wall or even fencing before we walked out of the

meeting."

The traders' body put up stalls in the annual Poush mela which takes place in last week of December and had been on warpath with Viswa

Bharati university authorities over the issue of building a boundary wall around the fair ground.

The students who attended the meeting alleged they were rebuked by Vice-Chancellor Prof Bidyut Chakraborty when they tried to communicate their objection to any boundary wall around the fair ground, Viswa Bharati students association leader Somnath Sau said.

District Magistrate Moumita Godara attended the meeting which was also participated by the ashramites who expressed happiness over the proceedings.

Viswa Bharati authorities were not available for comments.

The four-member Calcutta High Court-appointed committee on September 20 visited the Poush Mela ground for the first time and asked Viswa Bharati authorities and the Birbhum district administration to work in synergy to amicably sort out any problem over construction activities in the Viswa Bharati/Shantiniketan area including erection of a boundary wall around Poush mela ground.

The committee, which was staying in Shantiniketan, had been meeting all stakeholders in the varsity, local people and administration to arrive at a solution following the vandalism on August 17 during a protest over construction of boundary wall and Saturday's meeting was the last in the series.

The Calcutta High Court on September 18 formed the four-member committee, which included two of its sitting judges, to find out ways and means for appropriate resolution of issues relating to Viswa Bharati which had witnessed violence over construction of the boundary wall.

The high court had also directed that there will be no construction activity or demolition/modification or removal of any structure in any part of the land belonging to Viswa- Bharati university or over which it has claims, except with the permission of the committee.

Trouble erupted at Viswa-Bharati university in West Bengals Birbhum district on August 17, when a large number of people ransacked its properties to protest against the construction of a

boundary wall at the Poush Mela ground. with agency inputs