TMC to challenge the ban on Chhath puja at Kolkata Lake, BJP supports the move

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday gave an order that
Chhath Puja will not be allowed under any circumstance at Kolkata’s famous Rabindra Sarobar lakes which are considered to be the lungs of south Kolkata.

Amid Opposition allegations that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was looking at the votes closely of Hindi-speaking people, the Kolkata Municipal Development Authority (KMDA) recently appealed to the NGT to relax its order banning Chhath puja rituals at Rabindra Sarovar in south Kolkata. The KMDA requested for relaxation in the ban for only a day in view of people’s sentiments.

The KMDA also told the court that it would take measures to control pollution at the lakes. The puja will be held on November 19 and 20.
Despite the ban, hundreds of devotees broke open the gates of Rabindra Sarobar in November 2019 to perform the rituals. They even busted crackers and played drums at the Sarobar although the government had their own ownership alternatively in the water bodies in the city for conducting the rituals.

The incident made headlines and triggered a huge controversy.

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News source: Hindustan Times

Update by Bidisha Roy Choudhury