Dhaka:
On the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent a note of congratulations and gifts to West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday. “The gifts were channeled through the protocol wing of the prime minister’s office,” an official working in the office of the prime minister of Bangladesh told the Press Trust of India news agency. The five-day Durga Puja begins on October 22.
The gifts, sent via the Benapole-Petropole overland route, will be delivered to Mamata Banerjee through the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata. Reports suggest that the gifts included a sari, candy, and flowers.
West Bengal’s Chief Minister inaugurated several well-known Durga Pujas in Kolkata on Friday and urged people to follow Covid-related protocol during the festivities. Ms. Banerjee has virtually inaugurated over 70 Durga Pujas across the state. He has also visited some pandals.
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court said today that Durga Puja pandals will be no-entry zones for visitors. Only organizers will be allowed to enter the pandals, the court said, limiting the number to 25 for large pandals and 15 for smaller ones in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
Also in Gujarat, the state government has not allowed the famous Garba dance gatherings during Navratri for fear of the rapid spread of the infection. This year only small prayer events have been allowed for Durga Puja with a limited number of people.
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