The West Bengal government on Tuesday denied before the Calcutta High Court that the grant to Durga Puja organisers in the state was for the purpose of entertainment or something which is not essential as alleged in a public interest litigation (PIL).
In an affidavit, the state also denied the petitioner’s allegation that it is reluctant to pay pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears to the West Bengal government employees even after a judicial verdict of the high court.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a grant of Rs 60,000 to each community Durga Puja organiser, increasing the amount from Rs 50,000 given last year. The decision has been challenged in the PIL.
The state submitted before a division bench presided over by Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava that no amount is pending or remains payable to the employees from the state and stated that an application for review of the DA verdict has been filed before the court.
It claimed before the bench, also comprising Justice R. Shrivastava, that the two issues – grant to puja organisers and payment of DA arrears to the state government employees are altogether different.
The state denied that it is set to spend the amount to be given as a grant to Durga Puja organisers for entertainment or for some purposes which are not that essential.
Bikash Bhattacharya, counsel for the petitioner in the PIL challenging the decision of the West Bengal government to give Rs 60,000 each to Durga Puja organisers in the state, submitted that such grants cannot be given.
He claimed that utilisation certificates of such grants given to puja organisers in the last three years have not been provided.
Appearing for the state, advocate general S.N. Mookherjee submitted that the high court had earlier also allowed the grants given to the organisers.
Praying that the PIL be dismissed, he claimed that the petition is frivolous in nature and that it has been moved to win publicity.
The high court had before the 2020 Durga Puja, directed that organisers in West Bengal had to spend 75 per cent of the state government’s Rs 50,000 grant for procuring coronavirus protection equipment.