One of the PILs was filed by an association of lawyersTWO Public Interest Litigations (PIL) were filed at the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday against the state government’s recent decision to grant Rs 60,000 each to over 40,000 Durga Puja committees across the state.
The first PIL was filed by an association of lawyers at the division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj. The petitioners have questioned the rationale behind providing such large grants to the Puja committees and especially when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself admitted that the state is going through a financial crunch.
The division bench has admitted the petition and is likely to be heard on Friday. Later in the day, another PIL was filed on the same issue by one Subir Kumar Ghosh. The second PIL has been filed in the same division bench is likely to come up for hearing on Friday.
Banerjee on Monday announced that the grant given to each of the 40,000-plus Durga Puja organisers across the state would be increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000. In addition, the CM announced a 60 per cent discount on power tariffs for the Puja committees. It is a 10 per cent hike from the previous year.
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At a time when the West Bengal government is going through a financial crunch, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to increase the grant for Durga Puja organisers and provide them discount on power bills has drawn the Opposition’s ire. The TMC has defended the decision, saying it is an economically sound move that will stimulate the economy surrounding the festival.
Last year, the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led government spent Rs 201.91 crore — Rs 50,000 for each of 40,383 Durga Puja committees.