Bhubaneswar: West Bengal is fighting a losing battle to retain GI tag for its famous sweet dish Rasogolla. It was in 2017, the West Bengal Rasogolla was accorded the GI tag as ‘Banglar Rasogolla’
A case challenging the GI tag to ‘Banglara Rasogolla’ is going on in the GI Registration office at Chennai. The chairman of Regional Development Trust, Ramesh Chandra Sahu, has filed a case with the GI Registry of India in 2018 after GI tag was accorded to ‘Banglar Rasogolla’ in 2017.
The West Bengal government, after dodging several notices, appeared in the case in the Chennai office of GI Registry of India on Friday. The counsel for the West Bengal questioned the time limitation of filing the petition by the Regional Development Trust. Why the petitioner filed the affidavit in 2018 when the GI tag was accorded in 2017, questioned the counsel.
However, the GI court has refused to accept the argument of the West Bengal on time limitation. It fixed October 21, 2019 for the next hearing.
Regional Development Trust’s case in the GI court has become stronger after the ‘Odisha Rasagola’ got the GI status in July 2019. Rasogola is one of the food offerings made to the 12 Centuary deity Lord Jaganath.
Besides the Trust chairman , Punya Utkala coordinator Sushanta Sahu, editor of Odia Parba magazine Santosh Sahu, Trust vice-chairman Srinibas Mohapatra, secretary Brajendra Prasad Das, Prabhat Sahu and Madras Odia Society secretary Biswajit Kanungo were present in the GI office on Friday when the hearing was going on.
