Want to hold Ganga Sagar Mela following Covid norms: State tells HC
kolkata: On behalf of state government, Advocate General S N Mookherjee on Thursday informed Calcutta High Court that they wanted to hold Ganga Sagar Mela maintaining Covid protocols. The court reserved its judgement in connection with the plea seeking cancellation of Ganga Sagar Mela 2022 amid fresh surge in COVID-19 cases.
A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Kesang Doma Bhutia, during the hearing of public interest litigation filed by Dr. Avinandan Mondal seeking ban on Ganga Sagar Mela due to rising number of COVID-19 cases, said: "We have not made up our mind, we will examine it and we will pass an appropriate order."
The Court took on record an affidavit filed by the state government, which enumerated the measures taken to curb the spread of Corona virus at the Mela.
Advocate General S.N Mookherjee, appearing for the state, submitted that the state government decided to go ahead with the Ganga Sagar Mela by following the requisite COVID-19 protocols.
Nearly 71.87 per cent of adults have been given the first dose of vaccine. This apart, approximately 50 per cent of the population in the state has been double vaccinated.
While local residents of Sagar Island have also been double vaccinated, the
positivity rate at Diamond
Harbour Health District is under control.
State government is not expecting more than 5
lakh people this time during the Mela.
About 50,000 Sadhus have already arrived and 30,000 people have already visited the Mela ground. This apart, 10,000 police personnel, 5000 volunteers, and 735 people from the medical team have been deployed to take care of any exigency. All of these persons have been double vaccinated.
The provisions for mass sanitisation are available. A temporary hospital has been set up on the Mela ground.
There will be 125 isolation wards, 235 safe homes, 630 COVID-19 hospitals, 530 quarantine centres and 193 wellness centres. Advocate General Mookherjee further submitted that all pilgrims will mandatorily undergo screening and will have to submit their vaccination certificates.During the hearing, Chief Justice Shrivastava asked the Advocate General Mookherjee, "What measures have been taken to discourage people from coming to the Mela?"
In response, Advocate General Mookherjee submitted that the state government was encouraging online broadcasting and e-streaming of rituals.
He further pointed out that duties are more honourous under the National Disaster Management Act, 2005. The state government would rather place reliance on it than the Ganga Sagar Mela Act, 1976 in case the situation goes
out of control.
Advocate Srijib Chakraborty appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the state government on Wednesday had cancelled the Kolkata Film Festival 2022 after four film stars tested positive. State government on Wednesday cancelled the Kolkata Film Festival 2022 (slated to be held between January 7, 2022 and January 14, 2022) after four film stars tested positive.
