State to observe Hul Divas under new norms
Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government will be observing Hul Divas on Tuesday and Wednesday to commemorate the fight of Santhals against the British Raj in 1885, but in a different way this time in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.
The state government holds the state-level Hul Divas every year. This year the programme to observe Hul Divas will be organised at Suri in Birbhum, at Chatna and Taldangra in Bankura, Puncha and Balarampur in Purulia, Polba Dadpur and Goghat-I in Hooghly, Gayeshpur in Nadia, at Midnapore Town in West Midnapore, at Burdwan II block in East Burdwan, at Kanksa and Salanpur in West Burdwan, Karandighi in North Dinajpur and Tapan in South Dinajpur. While the state level programme will be held at the premises of Kechenda Primary School in Jhargram. The Tribal Development department is the nodal authority to conduct the festival, but the department this time gave direction to respective districts to organise the same with all Covid arrangements in place. Around 200 people including artists will be part of the Utsav at each venue of every district while the state government's directions in terms of allowing maximum number of people at a time will be strictly followed.
Masks and sanitisers will be given to each of the people attending the programme. Sitting arrangements for the visitors will also be made following the set guidelines. Moumita Godara Basu, district magistrate of Birbhum, said: "A minimum distance of at least 6 feet will be maintained between seats of two visitors. Even the artists will be performing maintaining the norms of physical distancing." District magistrate of Purulia, Rahul Majumdar, said: "The programme in the district will be held in two venues. We have decided to give masks to each of the visitors and hand sanitisers will be given at the entry points itself. We are working on the total number of visitors and artists. It will be finalised on Monday. But it will not be less than 200 at each venue. But the presence of the total number of people at a venue at a time will be completely based on the set norms of the state government."
