Bangalore: Yeddy Regime to Release Rs 6 Cr for Dasara Festivities
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jul 10: Even as Karnataka’s cultural capital of Mysore, which has been caught in serious communal clashes since the beginning of this month which claimed two lives and resulted in scores of people getting injured due to stabbing and other violent incident is yet to return to normalcy, the B S Yeddyurappa regime has gone ahead in setting the ball rolling for the ensuring Dasara festivities.
The high power committee on Mysore Dasara, which is known the world over for its grandeur and gala festivities besides the glittering jumbo savari carrying the scion of erstwhile Mysore royal family Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar in a golden throne, at its meeting under the chairmanship of Yeddyurappa in Vidhana Soudha has decided to release Rs 6 crore for the celebrations commencing from September 19.
The chief minister, who is also the chairman of the high power panel, said preparations for this year’s Dasara festivities have begun more than two months earlier unlike in the past. The festivities would begin on September 19 and conclude with the spectacular jumboo savari on September 28.
Yeddyurappa said the meeting came up with a suggestion to declare holiday for schools during Dasara festivities to enable students and their families to visit Mysore during the festival.
A final decision on grant of holidays would be taken after holding consultation with Primary and Secondary Education Minister Vishveshwara Hagde Kageri and education department officials, he said.
Earlier, the chief minister while addressing the meeting expressed concern over the recent communal clashes in Mysore and said the security would be beefed up in the city during the festival. All those responsible for the recent clashes would be strictly dealt with sternly, he said.
The government had released Rs 10 crore for the festivities last year and the district administration had saved Rs 1.20 crore.
Pointing out that there were complaints from tourists on account of the hardhisps faced by them during the Dasara festival in Mysore, he said the government would take all neecessary steps to streamline traffic and vehicle parking problems besides making foolproof arrangements for ensuring the safety, comfort and well-being of the domestic as well as foreign tourists.
To a question, Yeddyurappa said a suitable personality would be asked to inaugurate the event.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Shobha Karandlaje, who is also the Mysore District in-charge, disclosed that a website on Dasara festival would be launched soon.
She felt a grant of Rs 6 crore would be sufficient to conduct the festivities this time as all civic works had already been taken up from the Rs 100 crore special fund released by the Chief Minister last year for development of infrastructure in the city.
Local artistes would be given preference and sportspersons from the State would he honoured during the event. Besides holding air show, steps would be taken to provide publicity to the festival at the global level, the minister said.
Local Congress MLA and former minister Tanvir Sait, who is the son of former minister Azeez Sait, urged the Chief Minister to strengthen the police force in Mysore to ensure that there were no security lapses during the festival as lakhs of tourists would be visiting Mysore for the world-famous Dasara festival.
Director General of Police Ajay Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner P Manivannan, Mysore City Corporation Commissioner K S Raikar, Mysore Urban Development Authority Commissioner P C Jayanna, Karnataka Housing Board Chairman G T Deve Gowda, MLAs H S Shankaralinge Gowda, H P Manjunath, MLCs Thontadarya and N Manjunath besides Exhibition Authority Chairman B P Manjunath, and others attended the meeting.