Amid Chhath Puja rush, security enhanced in Kolkata

Kolkata, Nov 6 Amid the rush for the Chhath Puja, security has been stepped up in Kolkata for the next two days to prevent any untoward incident.

Additional forces of 3,700 policemen will be on the streets of Kolkata, especially to prevent the use of banned firecrackers exceeding the permissible sound limit of 75 decibels.

The special watch will be kept in areas adjacent to different hospitals where the permissible sound limit is even lower at 45 decibels. The two main artificial lakes in the city namely Rabindra Sarobar in South Kolkata and Subhash Sarobar in North Kolkata will remain closed for the next two days to prevent the Chhath Puja there.

All the entry gates to these lakes will remain locked from 8 p.m. on Wednesday till 6 p.m. on Friday. Besides, barricades will be raised around the lakes to make the protection system foolproof.

Welcoming the move, city-based economist and green technologist Somendra Mohan Ghosh said it is the right move for the protection of lake- ecosystem and biodiversity.

"In 2016, the National Green Tribunal allowed Chhath Puja to be performed in the lake for that year only under certain regulations. But despite that, thousands of devotees forcefully entered the lake area and performed Chhath Puja rituals in 2017 and 2018 violating the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal's orders. From 2019, the state government implemented court orders properly with barricades and police postings to prevent entries in both the lakes," Ghosh added.

However, the environmental activists fear that despite assurances from the top cops, there was rampant bursting of banned firecrackers for two consecutive days - October 31 and November 1 on the twin occasions of Kali Puja and Diwali.

There had been allegations during the twin occasions that there were several instances of bursting of banned firecrackers in front of the cops with the latter remaining as mute spectators.

A leading environmental activist in the city said that unless the sale and purchase of banned firecrackers were properly monitored, it cannnot be prevented.

Source: IANS