TWIRL TALE: An affidavit is to be filed in Calcutta High Court, pointing out the Hall authorities’ failure in getting the angel atop its dome to rotate again. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta High Court on Friday allowed environment activist Subhas Dutta to file an affidavit challenging the legality of a decision reportedly made by the civic body of allowing kiosks inside Citizens’ Park.

The division bench of Justice B. Bhattacharya and Justice R.N. Banerjee was hearing a case filed by Dutta regarding the upkeep of Victoria Memorial.

According to Dutta, a number of newspapers had carried reports about the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC)’s decision.

“Any type of kiosk is harmful in the vicinity of the century-old monument. The high court had directed police to remove hawkers from within 50 yards of Victoria Memorial. The CMC’s decision violates the court’s directive,” said Dutta.

He alleged that the CMC was allowing Bengal Shelter to set up stalls inside the park. “The court had banned fairs around Victoria Memorial. How can the CMC allow permanent stalls in the area?”

Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya said: “Dutta’s allegation is based on wrong information. The CMC is handing over the responsibility of maintaining Citizens’ Park to Bengal Shelter. No one is going to construct stalls in the area.”

Dutta also told the court that the Victoria Memorial authorities had failed to make the angel atop the monument rotate again.

“They had claimed in their report that they had succeeded in making the angel rotate. But the angel is still static. The static, 13-tonne figure is damaging the monument structurally,” claimed Dutta.

He asked the court to direct the authorities to take steps in this regard.

The division bench asked Dutta to file an affidavit before the court. It granted the authorities’ prayer seeking more time to submit the report by National Environment Engineering Institute on the structural condition of the monument.