Gangasagar: Camp at Maidan’s Outram Ghat

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Express news service

Posted online: Saturday , January 05, 2008 at 12:00:00
Updated: Saturday , January 05, 2008 at 01:49:14

Kolkata, January 4 The Union Ministry of Defence has given its nod to the setting up of a transit camp at the Outram Ghat stretch of Maidan for Gangasagar pilgrims.

About 45 NGOs, associated with the Gangasagar Mela, had launched a relay hungerstrike on Friday to protest against the Army’s decision to allow a transit camp to come up at the Maidan.

“We were told by the Centre to allow the organisers to use the site for setting up a transit camp. Accordingly, we have conveyed the message,” said Group Captain R K Das, official spokesperson for the defence ministry in Kolkata. A formal letter in this regard is awaited.

“We have received the communication at about 8 pm and will begin work tomorrow as we are far behind the schedule. We will ensure that the site is cleaned up after the camp is dismantled,” said Taraknath Trivedi, president of Gangasagar Tirthyatri Sanyukta Samiti, a representative organisation of the NGOs and volunteers associated with the event.

This is undoubtedly good news for NGOs and organisers of Gangasagar Mela. Earlier, the state government’s failure to come up with an alternate location for the transit camp had left the pilgrims in dire strait.

“The decision should have been taken much earlier. Last year also, there was some confusion regarding the same issue. The state government should have found a permanent ground. Most of the pilgrims are poor and lack of arrangements will land them in trouble,” said Shyamdhar Pandey, General Secretary of the state Samajwadi Party.

At least, four to five lakh pilgrims visit the Sagar islands in South 24 Parganas every year for the event.

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