Abhijit Ray, Kolkata:No gratuity arrears to state government employees. The allegation that the state is apathetic about the payment of dearness allowances to the workers is not true. The state stated this strongly in an affidavit in the High Court. This affidavit was filed by the state on Tuesday in a public interest litigation related to donations in pujas.Not only that, but an application has also been made to the court to impose a heavy fine on the plaintiff. The state has also sought dismissal of the grant case, questioning its legitimacy. *Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee* has announced a grant of Rs 60,000 to the entrepreneurial committees of Durga Puja.After that, a public interest litigation was filed in the High Court. What has the state said in today’s affidavit? The State has not arrears any gratuity. Therefore, a request has been made to the court to review the judgment.The matter is now pending before the court.Secondly, grant of dearness allowance and pooja are completely unrelated matters. Can the two be accused together like this? The logic of grant, the constitution says, the state government can allocate money for the people if it thinks so. Apart from that, the UNESCO Heritage title given to Durga Puja is not only the pride of the state but also of the country. Article 51(a) of the Constitution says that the responsibility of protecting the heritage belongs to the citizens of the country. Hence the allocation of funds for this.
