Kolkata: From now on, gatherings inside Rabindra Sarobar for meetings and rallies will not be allowed. On Tuesday, Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, the custodians of the Lake, put up notices to that effect at the gates.
The decision follows a recent incident in which a group of morning walkers, along with some NGOs, held a green march on the Lake premises to protest against the plan to use a plot of land to develop a sports academy.
“People may have their concerns on different issues. But Sarobar is not the place for meetings or rallies to express these views. The decision to ban meetings and rallies here has been taken according to NGT norms. Such gatherings may disturb the eco-sensitivity and peacefulness of the place,” said a state urban development department official.
However, Lake regulars said that any kind of green march for the sake of the environment should be allowed. “No political or religious meeting or rally should be allowed. But how can anything that relates to the interest of the Lake be prohibited? There would be no value to hold any protest on environmental matters relating to the Lake outside the gates,” said Arun Kumar Dalmia, a Lake regular. “Anything related to the betterment of the environment should be allowed in this eco-sensitive zone,” said environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh.