KMC officer show-caused over holiday list row

Kolkata: Following a political controversy that broke out over the matter, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) ordered its chief manager (Education) to show cause as to why he changed dates of holiday for civic body primary schools without prior approval.

The show cause notice served to Siddharta Sankar Dhara, chief manager (education) read: “..your issuing of Holiday notice altering the list of Holidays is not in alignment with the declared list of holidays of this Corporation is treated as an undesirable act on your part leading to spreading of misinformation”. He has been asked to reply within three days as to why action should not be taken against him.

Such a move came after the BJP leader Amit Malviya took to social media and uploaded the impugned KMC circular which was apparently directed towards the Hindi KMCP schools and read that Eid-ul-Fitr Holiday will be for two days from March 31 to April 1, 2025.

It wrote that there will be no holiday for Biswakarma Puja on September 17 as one day from its allocated holiday has been adjusted to extend the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday.

Taking a jibe at the Mamata Banerjee-led state government, Malviya said, “the Muslim vote bank she once took for granted is slipping, even in the Greater Kolkata Region”.