The authorities of Visva-Bharati University (VBU) have decided that this year’s Poush Mela will be held after securing all necessary clearances from the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The fair is expected to take place at the Purbapally Maidan from 23 December.
At a high-level meeting at the Central Library on Thursday evening it was decided that stalls will be allotted with complete transparency. Strict measures will be taken during the allocation of plots for stalls at the Poush Mela, the meeting resolved.
Anit Konar, secretary of the Visva-Bharati Trust, along with other senior officials of Visva-Bharati University, attended the meeting. Atig Ghosh, public relations officer of the central university, said that it has been planned to hold the Poush Mela for six days this year.
“Everybody wants the Poush Mela to be held, but we intend to strictly follow guidelines of the National Green Tribunal,” he added.
Environmental activist Subhas Dutta had filed two cases with the National Green Tribunal in 2016 and 2018 over rising pollution levels, following which the bursting of firecrackers was stopped by the VBU authorities as per NGT directives.
Basanta Utsav during the Holi festival and Poush Mela in December are the two biggest annual cultural events of Visva-Bharati University, attracting visitors from across the country and abroad to Tagore’s abode of peace.