Kolkata: Despite NGT order, devotees break open gate, perform Chhath at Rabindra Sarobar

“They broke open the locks of the gate number 3 around 7:30-8 am. There were 20-30 youths. It was not possible for us to prevent so many people from entering the lake,” said an on-duty security guard on the condition of anonymity.

Sensing the tension in the area, a police team reached the lake, which is under custody of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). However, people kept entering the lake in presence of police.

“We have come to know about people entering the area forcefully, and we are looking into the matter,” said a KMDA official.

According to sources, there are a total of 18 gates that lead to the lake and are manned by private security agencies. Initially, the lock of two gates were broken open, and later devotees also stormed to the lake from the the main gate too.

“The police were just mute spectators. In fact, last year too, the NGT order was violated and no action was taken,” said a local resident of the area who didn’t want to be identified.

A BJP leader blamed the state government for its failure to implement the NGT order.

“It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the law and order is followed. But they (the government) only believe in vote bank politics; what else can we expect from them?” said BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya.]

TMC General Secretary Partha Chatterjee refused to speak on the matter, saying the lake is under custody of KMDA.

However, TMC leader Madan Mitra said, “Ours is a pro-people government and we support every common man.”
Police refused to comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, CM Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar congratulated people on the occasion of Chhath.
“May this joyous festival provides an opportunity to reaffirm our faith in the country’s cultural heritage, spirit of friendship and fraternity among all sections of society,” said Dhankhar.

Arvind Jha, a devotee who was at Rabindra Sarobar, said, “Like people celebrate Durga Puja and Diwali, we perform Chhath Puja. On Chhath Puja, we do not pollute any water body; we worship nature instead. There is a bias to stop a community from performing a puja when big statues are immersed in Ganga.”

Another devotee, Prakash Singh, thanked Banerjee for standing by the community in Bengal.

Spread over 192 acres, Rabindra Sarovar is an artificial lake in south Kolkata and boasts of rich biodiversity with many bird species living there. The KMDA had put up a notice outside the gate prohibiting Chhath Puja inside the lake.