No rally at Maidan: Green gun trained on CPM now

Express news service Posted: Feb 14, 2008 at 0225 hrs
Kolkata, February 13 After getting the book fair moved out of Maidan, environmentalist Subhas Dutta has now taken on the ruling CPM.

Today, he moved a plea in High Court that the CPM had held a rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds on January 8, which had damaged the green cover of the Maidan. He even placed some photographs of the rally published in the newspapers.

He submitted before a division bench of Justices Bhaskar Bhattacharya and RN Banerjee that rallies and meetings should from now be shifted to New Town and the state government directed to set up a ground for the purpose there. For the present, rallies could be allowed at the Maidan under restrictions.

Dutta said during Sagar Mela, thousands of pilgrims took shelter near Babu Ghat in Maidan and polluted it. Also, buses and lorries should not be allowed to park within 3 km of the Maidan.

The division bench has posted the matter for hearing on Friday.