Kolkata, May 27 (PTI) Preparations were underway in full swing at the Brigade Parade Grounds here for the Eid-ul-Adha namaz, which has been shifted this year from the historic venue of Red Road following the West Bengal government’s decision to prohibit prayers on streets and public thoroughfares.
The Eid-ul-Adha, or Bakrid, congregation will now be held at the Brigade Parade Grounds instead of Red Road, which has traditionally hosted one of the city’s largest namaz gatherings.
The government has directed that prayers should not spill onto roads to avoid disruption to traffic and public movement.
Workers were seen erecting a stage and installing loudspeakers at the venue after organisers secured the required permissions for the annual congregation.
Javed Ahmed Khan, Trinamool Congress MLA from Kasba and president of the Calcutta Khilafat Committee, appealed to devotees to use only authorised parking areas and refrain from parking vehicles on roads to prevent traffic congestion.
He also advised attendees to carry prayer mats, cloth or plastic sheets in view of the possibility of rain on the day of the prayers.
The venue was finalised after discussions between Kolkata Police and organisers over crowd management and traffic arrangements, officials said.
According to officials, the state government facilitated the alternative arrangement at the Brigade Parade Grounds to ensure smooth conduct of the annual prayers.
Meanwhile, several Islamic clerics have urged members of the community not to slaughter cows after the government decided to strictly enforce provisions of the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, they added. PTI BSM ACD
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