A college programme that was supposed to take place at Netaji Indoor Stadium in central Kolkata on June 7 and 8 has been deferred.
The event was being organised by the Surendranath Group of College and would have featured singers Sunidhi Chauhan and Jubin Nautiyal.
The department of youth services and sports is responsible for receiving bookings for Netaji Indoor Stadium.
College officials said they received a letter from the department of youth and sports affairs late on Thursday evening, informing them about a programme by the higher education department at the same venue from June 7 to 10.
The booking for the government programme was done on May 26, a college official said.
“We received a letter about the proposed programme. Since there is a need for security checks and other arrangements, our programme has been deferred,” Indranil Kar, principal of Surendranath College, told The Telegraph.
The college authorities said the programme was a part of Lakshya, the college fest.
According to the college officials, they had booked the hall several months in advance and all arrangements, including the mandatory police clearance, had been completed.
The cancellation comes at a time when unruly college fests are under the scanner.
At one such programme at Nazrul Mancha on Tuesday, more than 7,000 people had allegedly entered the hall that can seat around 2,500 people.
“We will now have to work out fresh dates. But that would only be possible after wrapping up the admission process and then a visit by a team from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council,” a college official said.
According to senior government officials, organisers taking the stadium on rent are always informed about a particular clause according to which the booking might be cancelled to accommodate an emergency meeting or a state government programme.
“Unlike bookings in tourist lodges, a programme at Netaji Indoor Stadium can be cancelled if there is an emergency need or a state government function,” a senior official of the department of youth services and sports said.
“The college authorities can always ask for fresh dates in view of the cancellation. We will accommodate, provided there are no prior bookings,” the official said.
