Calcutta HC stays Mamata Banerjee government's Rs 28 crore grant for Durga Puja committees

The Calcutta High Court on Friday stayed the Mamata Banerjee government’s order to grant Rs 10,000 each to the 28,000 Durga Puja committees across West Bengal, according to several media reports. NDTV reported that the high court asked the state government what the purpose was behind using the public money for the festival and if the the same amount of money would be granted for every major festival of all religions. [caption id=“attachment_4720751” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee[/caption] The court set 9 October as the next date of hearing,  ANI reported.   The development comes nearly a month after the West Bengal government announced that a total grant of Rs 28 crore will be allotted to the committees under the state’s “community development programme.” “The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the fire sservices and the Kolkata Police will ensure all community puja organisers get the grant under the community development programme. The Kolkata Police will hand over the money to the organisers,” the chief minister had said on 10 September, while also announcing a waiver of licence fee for the committees. There are 3,000 Durga Puja committees in Kolkata alone, and 25,000 elsewhere in the state. The festival is slated for 15 to 19 October. With inputs from agencies