Those who seek to have the holy water by mail would be given, it was directed. Only the postal charges will be taken from them, it was further directed.
In this aerial photo, Hindu devotees gather to take a holy dip in the Bay of Bengal during the Gangasagar Mela, at Sagar Island, some 150 kilometres south of Kolkata. (XAVIER GALIANA / AFP)
A Division Bench of Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee of Calcutta High Court today gave its nod to Gangasagar Mela this year and the holy dip. Those seeking the holy dip should be persuaded to go for e-bathing and given free kit to do it when they come to the Mela ground, it was directed.
Those who seek to have the holy water by mail would be given, it was directed. Only the postal charges will be taken from them, it was further directed.
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In an interim order on 8 January, this Division Bench expressing satisfaction with the security arrangements of this fair, felt e-bathing should be encouraged by the state government. There should be safety kiosks and e-bathing kit should be given to those seeking to take the holy dip.
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Ajoy Dey in a PIL had sought if the fair is held then the entire Sagar island be declared a containment zone. The PIL expressed doubts whether people from outside the state will be able to maintain social distance and the difficulties of communicating the corona restrictions to many people coming from outside the state.
Dey had moved court seeking a slew of restrictions on celebrating Durga and Kali pujas.
The HC had passed a string of directions which were pre-conditions to ensure preventing spread of the pandemic. At least 54,000 people across the country have so far received holy water from the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal, as the West Bengal government arranged for ‘e-snan’ facility to avoid crowding at the Gangasagar Mela.
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