Mamata-designed sculpture outside Salt Lake Stadium demolished by Bengal government
The West Bengal government on Saturday demolished a controversial sculpture outside Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium that was reportedly designed by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
The structure featured the legs of a football player with a football placed above the waist. It was installed in 2017 ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup hosted in India. The sculpture also carried the “Biswa Bangla” logo associated with the previous Trinamool Congress government.
The structure had remained at the centre of political controversy since its installation. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had reportedly stated a day after taking oath that his government would remove the sculpture.
On Saturday morning, broken portions of the structure were seen lying near the VVIP gate of the stadium premises.
West Bengal Sports Minister Nisith Pramanik had earlier criticised the installation on 17 May, calling it a “meaningless and ugly structure” that did not match the aesthetics of the stadium.
The Salt Lake Stadium complex underwent a major renovation worth nearly Rs 100 crore before hosting matches of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017. The name of Mamata Banerjee was also inscribed below the sculpture.
Bengal government announces key policy decisions
Since assuming office on 9 May, the new Bengal government under Suvendu Adhikari has announced a series of administrative and policy decisions.
The government said it would hand over 600 acres of land to the Border Security Force for fencing work along the India-Bangladesh border. It also announced the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) process for eligible communities.
The state has decided to join the Ayushman Bharat health scheme, allowing eligible families access to medical coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh.
Other decisions include restarting the delayed Census process, relaxing the upper age limit for government job applicants by five years, permitting state officers to attend central training programmes and implementing new criminal laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The government has also announced financial assistance or jobs for families of BJP workers killed in the 2021 post-poll violence.
In addition, religion-linked welfare schemes under the madrasa department are set to be discontinued from June. The state also plans to launch the “Annapurna Yojana” for women, offering Rs 3,000 per month in financial assistance and free bus travel for women from 1 June.
The administration has further cancelled several board and corporation appointments made during the previous regime and issued a fresh notice regarding cattle slaughter regulations under existing laws and court directives.
“This meaningless and ugly structure did not match the beauty of the stadium.” — Nisith Pramanik, West Bengal Sports Minister
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Disclaimer
This news report is based on media reports and publicly available information. Official statements and developments available at the time of publishing have been included.
