Statesman News Service
MALDA, Sept. 21: The Malda district administration has set a 48-hour deadline to the puja organisers to clear the roads encroached by pandals.
“If the deadline is not complied with unauthorized structures would be demolished,” said the district magistrate.
Recently at a meeting with the puja committees of Malda town, the district magistrate and superintendent of police jointly approached the puja organisers to remove the structures, which were illegally constructed creating congestion of main roads in English Bazaar town.
The district magistrate Mr CR Das said: “The hostile attitude of some puja committees towards the instruction has compelled us to take the harsh decision. They seem to be challenging administration, violating and ignoring rule of law. It cannot be tolerated.”
The Malda DM also said that some puja organisers had already encroached upon the Rabindra Avenue, popularly known as Rajmahal Road, deemed to be the lifeline of English Bazaar town, ignoring traffic rules.
The English Bazaar civic body has already appealed to the puja organisers to follow the administrative decision and shift the constructed structures within 48 hours.
The district administration has prevented the English Bazaar civic body from granting permission to the organisers for the construction of gates on main roads.
It was decided that only the office of the district magistrate would give permission for construction of gates on roads.
The Malda SP said: “Police would approach the organisers to shift unauthorised structures on road tomorrow. If they do not move the unauthorised structures, the police will demolish all structures.”
“The organisers will have to follow the ‘alignment’ formulated by the administration on either the side of the road for setting up pandals and gates. If they do not follow the direction all unauthorised structures will be evicted by police,” the Malda DM said.
The administration has alerted the puja organisers to follow other relevant rules and requested them to seek permission and approval from pollution control board and fire brigade.
The administration, police, civic body and some non-governmental organisations have chalked out plans to set up drop gates and parking zones to control traffic. They would also set up assistance booths, health centres, telephone and ambulance services during the Puja days.
Puja lotteries banned
Statesman News Service
MALDA, Sept. 21: Malda district magistrate Mr CR Das today banned lotteries meant for raising Durga Puja funds of several clubs in the district. Organisers who had earlier launched such lotteries have stopped advertising them now, following the ban.
“None can organise such lotteries without permission from the government. Specifically, the organisers need to get permission from the Home department," Mr Das said. “Police will arrest the organisers if they organise such lotteries either openly or secretly,” he added.
“But in Malda nobody cares about the government's order,” he remarked.
A few organisations, however, have already announced the reults of their lotteries. Lotteries organised by some Puja committees on Rabindra Avenue have already wound up their counters.
For the past few years, several puja organisers had been conducting big budget lotteries openly before and after Durga Puja. The authorities took no steps to ban the lottery culture and silently allowed them for lack of complaints against them.
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