Minister in charge of Mysuru district H.C. Mahadevappa on Friday said the people and farmers in the State are happy because of good rains and added that the Dasara festivities in Mysuru will therefore be celebrated on a grand scale.
Presiding over the Dasara Executive Committee meeting at the deputy commissioner’s office in Mysuru to discuss the preparations for the festivities, the Minister said, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently chaired the meeting of the Dasara high-power committee. The meeting discussed Dasara grant, 4G exemption for Dasara funds, and also the chief guest to be invited to inaugurate the festivities atop the Chamundi Hills.
Mr. Mahadevappa told the officials to work towards getting more sponsors for the Dasara events. The festivities will be inaugurated atop the Chamundi Hills between 9.15 a.m. and 9.45 a.m. “The chief guest for the inaugural event will be finalised soon,” he added.
The Minister said the Chief Minister has given his nod for using ₹40 crore for Dasara celebrations this year. All roads in Mysuru city will be made “pot-hole free” and also fresh asphalt will be laid wherever it is necessary.
While advising the officials to ensure transparency in the arrangements, the Minister said the Dasara food mela will be organised at two places in the city – one at the Bharat Scouts and Guides Grounds and another at the Siddhartha Layout near Lalitha Mahal Palace like last year.
Five guarantees
Mr. Mahadevappa said the Dasara tableaux will feature all five guarantees, including Shakti, Gruha Jyothi, Gruha Lakshmi, Anna Bhagya, and Yuva Nidhi. Also, the Dasara procession will feature a tableau highlighting the Congress government’s one year rule and the achievements.
The 21-day Dasara illumination has to be one of the key highlights of the festivities, said the Minister, asking the CESC engineers to plan accordingly and ensure that the lights make the city bright with the illumination of all key roads and junctions across the city.
The Minister said the repetition of artists for Yuva Dasara should be avoided. The artists who had been invited to the events in the last two years should not be repeated in this year’s events. Also, the programmes have to be unique, bringing novelty to the music and dance programmes, including Yuva Sambrama, he told the officials.
Children’s Dasara, Mahila Dasara, and Raitha Dasara need to be more meaningful with innovative programmes.
19 Dasara sub-committees
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy said 19 sub-committees have been constituted for organising the festivities. Arrangements for Gajapayana which is scheduled on August 21 have been made and the logo of Karnataka Sambrama-50 will be launched during the Daasara events in Mysuru.
‘Extend Food Mela for a month’
Former Minister and MLA Tanveer Sait suggested the digitisation of publicity boards of the Information and Public Relations Department and making use of the boards for Dasara publicity.
He also suggested organising Dasara food mela for at least one month and the organisers have to ensure hygiene at the food festival. The prices should not be exorbitant.
MLA and Jungle Lodges and Resorts Chairman Anil Chikkamadu suggested for instituting awards for Dasara mahouts in the name of tusker Arjuna
G.T. Deve Gowda, K. Harish Gowda, Ramesh Bandisidde Gowda, Puttaranga Shetty, Ravishankar, Srivatsa, A.R. Krishnamurthy, MLAs, Pushpa Amarnath, KPCC Mahila Congress former president, and others were present.
