HC allows Sansad Mela at Asansol

The Calcutta High Court today allowed holding of Sansad Mela at Asansol, the constituency of Union minister Babul Supriyo, on an appeal against the Trinamool Congress-run municipal body's refusal to give the go-ahead to the fair that would showcase central government's various development schemes.
A division bench of justices B Somadder and S Acharya directed that the mayor and other authorities of the Asansol Municipal Corporation shall permit the appellants to hold the Sansad (Member of Parliament) Mela at Loco Ground as per schedule this evening.
The bench, however, directed that no cultural programme, including musical soirees, will be allowed to be held in view of the statements by the appellants.

'Me and We', an NGO which is co-organising the fair, moved the appeal before the division bench after the Asansol mayor refused permission.
A single bench of the high court had on Tuesday directed that the municipal body consider afresh and take a call on the application for permission within a day after it had earlier refused permission for the fair.
Refusing permission yesterday, the mayor had claimed that artistes from Mumbai would perform and that may cause a stampede owing to a possible large attendance of around 50,000 people.
The petitioners today submitted before the division bench that the cultural programme has been cancelled as the second rejection of its application was on the ground of the programme.

The bench further directed that in the event that the Asansol Municipal Corporation notices crowd management is becoming difficult, it shall step in and bring the same to the notice of local police authorities which will conduct an on-the-spot assessment and thereafter AMC will issue instructions to the organisers for closing down the fair or any particular stall as the situation warrants.