Mamata asks protestors to now ‘gear up for Puja festivities’
Kolkata: In the wake of the ‘Reclaim the Night’ protests and regular rallies demanding justice for the rape and murder victim of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Monday, said such gatherings at night is causing disturbance to many while urging all to now to prepare for the upcoming Durga Puja festivities.
“A month has elapsed (since the incident). The state government has fulfilled almost all the demands of the junior doctors. I will appeal to all to be part of Puja festivities. I will also urge the CBI to speed up the trial in the case and give justice to the victim’s family,” Banerjee said during an administrative review meeting at Nabanna.
She said taking to the streets at night on a regular basis is causing disturbance.
“There are many aged people who cannot sleep properly. There are restrictions of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board regarding use of microphones after 10 pm. But we have allowed such protests. The police did not take any action against such violations despite no permission being sought from the police. This is only possible in Bengal. Had it been other states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi it would not have been allowed. Now I appeal to all to join work,” she maintained.
Principal secretary of Health department, Narayan Swaroop Nigam pointed out 23 deaths have been reported due to alleged non-treatment in government hospitals. Seven lakh people were deprived of treatment at outdoor facilities, 70,000 did not receive treatment indoors, 7000 surgeries were postponed while 15,000 patients have not been treated in cath labs.
Referring to the puja allowance announced by her, Banerjee said that the state received fresh requests from a number of Puja committees.
“We are spending Rs 450 crore for allowance to the Puja committees and the distribution will start from Tuesday. If any Puja committee refuses to accept the same, we will divert the same to the new applicants. We may not be able to extend the allowance to all such applicants but we will try to the best possible extent,” Banerjee said.
Some community pujas based in Netaji Nagar, Behala, Garden Reach in Kolkata and also in Hooghly and East Burdwan have refused to accept the state government’s allowance while a large number of pujas in Kolkata as well as districts have sought the same.
“The poor people look forward to the Durga Puja for some earning. People from different vocations benefit from the business that takes place with the Durga Puja,” she added.She directed the district magistrates and police superintendents to visit different Puja communities right upto the BDO level and see to it that they face no inconvenience in hosting the Durga Puja.
