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NEW DELHI: The curtains have come down over the century-old Poush Mela in Visva Bharati University. The 120-year-old honest and pageant (Poush Mela) organised for 3 to 4 days in December yearly had been disrupted solely twice – in 1943 because of the famine and in 1945 because of the second world battle.
But caught in an internet of violations of the National Green Tribunal’s orders, fantastic imposed by West Bengal Pollution Control Board and police complaints over alleged harassment, the central college’s government council (EC) on Friday determined to scrap the honest, which attracts over two lakh guests.
The council additionally resolved to organise Basanta Utsav, the Tagore version of Holi, on a distinct day, citing that if held on the identical day because the pageant of colors it will be powerful to handle the gang.
As per sources in EC, the college has been spending lakhs of rupees in a number of authorized battles as a result of of the mela. Also academically the college has been on a downslide, managing solely B+ NAAC grading and slipped from 37th to 50th place within the 2020 NIRF rankings.
The college has written to the Union HRD ministry in addition to apprised the prime minister’s workplace concerning the developments, corresponding to a police investigation (a duplicate of which is with the TOI) in opposition to it after the administration tried to take away outlets on completion of the fourth day of the mela “to honour the order of NGT.”
“The PM office has been informed by the university that a couple of days ago some officials were summoned by Santiniketan police for interrogation. This was related to December 2019 Poush Mela when the organisers tried to vacate the fairground after the scheduled four days. A section of local businessmen resisted which led to a scuffle. A complaint of outraging modesty was lodged against a number of university officials including the vice chancellor,” mentioned the MHRD official.
The NGT had directed that the mela “shall be restricted only to the sale and exhibition of arts, crafts, traditional rural handicrafts, literature… It certainly would not dilute the object of the mela as it has been done in the recent past. The mela should be wound up without fail on the 4thday.” The tribunal following violations had additionally imposed Rs 25 lakh penalty on the college.
On January 7, 2020 the WBPCB additionally wrote to the college asking as to “why an environmental compensation amounting to Rs 10 lakh shall not be imposed,” over non-compliance of the NGT order.
The observations and orders of the NGT on the mela made within the final three years embrace violation of air pollution legal guidelines regarding stable wastes and plastics, technology of hazardous plastics and that the essence of the mela has disappeared and it has now develop into purely a business occasion. Also the tribunal noticed that the mela which is meant to be run by the belief has been taken over by unscrupulous parts past the prescribed interval of fiour days.
It would go on past 10-12 days with out official electrical energy and would run on turbines which trigger air air pollution thereby vitiating the environment of the college.
According to a senior MHRD official, “Now even water purifiers, mobile phones and tractors are being sold in the fair.”
According to a authorities supply, for the reason that state administration has a fingers off strategy after the fourth day leaving the college by itself to cope with the state of affairs together with legislation and order, the EC felt that the college ought to rethink allowing the mela inside its campus.
But caught in an internet of violations of the National Green Tribunal’s orders, fantastic imposed by West Bengal Pollution Control Board and police complaints over alleged harassment, the central college’s government council (EC) on Friday determined to scrap the honest, which attracts over two lakh guests.
The council additionally resolved to organise Basanta Utsav, the Tagore version of Holi, on a distinct day, citing that if held on the identical day because the pageant of colors it will be powerful to handle the gang.
As per sources in EC, the college has been spending lakhs of rupees in a number of authorized battles as a result of of the mela. Also academically the college has been on a downslide, managing solely B+ NAAC grading and slipped from 37th to 50th place within the 2020 NIRF rankings.
The college has written to the Union HRD ministry in addition to apprised the prime minister’s workplace concerning the developments, corresponding to a police investigation (a duplicate of which is with the TOI) in opposition to it after the administration tried to take away outlets on completion of the fourth day of the mela “to honour the order of NGT.”
“The PM office has been informed by the university that a couple of days ago some officials were summoned by Santiniketan police for interrogation. This was related to December 2019 Poush Mela when the organisers tried to vacate the fairground after the scheduled four days. A section of local businessmen resisted which led to a scuffle. A complaint of outraging modesty was lodged against a number of university officials including the vice chancellor,” mentioned the MHRD official.
The NGT had directed that the mela “shall be restricted only to the sale and exhibition of arts, crafts, traditional rural handicrafts, literature… It certainly would not dilute the object of the mela as it has been done in the recent past. The mela should be wound up without fail on the 4thday.” The tribunal following violations had additionally imposed Rs 25 lakh penalty on the college.
On January 7, 2020 the WBPCB additionally wrote to the college asking as to “why an environmental compensation amounting to Rs 10 lakh shall not be imposed,” over non-compliance of the NGT order.
The observations and orders of the NGT on the mela made within the final three years embrace violation of air pollution legal guidelines regarding stable wastes and plastics, technology of hazardous plastics and that the essence of the mela has disappeared and it has now develop into purely a business occasion. Also the tribunal noticed that the mela which is meant to be run by the belief has been taken over by unscrupulous parts past the prescribed interval of fiour days.
It would go on past 10-12 days with out official electrical energy and would run on turbines which trigger air air pollution thereby vitiating the environment of the college.
According to a senior MHRD official, “Now even water purifiers, mobile phones and tractors are being sold in the fair.”
According to a authorities supply, for the reason that state administration has a fingers off strategy after the fourth day leaving the college by itself to cope with the state of affairs together with legislation and order, the EC felt that the college ought to rethink allowing the mela inside its campus.
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