Even though Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has given his nod to release a grant of Rs 1 crore towards Madikeri Dasara, the rift between committees has brought the debate on the utilization of funds to the fore.
MLA Appachu Ranjan M P had requested the chief minister to announce funds for Madikeri Dasara.
The chief minister subsequently recommended the finance department to release the grants.
However, there has been no clarity of how much funds are reserved for Gonikoppa Dasara.
Rs 25 lakh for Dasara
An MLA had suggested utilizing Rs 25 lakh out of the Rs 1 crore fund and utilizing the rest for the road and other development works in Madikeri.
He had pointed out that last year, Madikeri Dasara was organised using only Rs 10 lakh.
However, the sub-committees have failed to arrive at a common conclusion and the members have rejected the MLA’s suggestion.
The differences in the opinion among the members have given room for a tug-of-war between the MLA and the committees, regarding the utilization of Dasara grants.
On the other hand, the district administration has requested that a simple and traditional Dasara be observed, as the danger of the Covid-19 pandemic is still existing.
“The government regulations on Covid-19 should be strictly adhered to,” the district administration said.
The Dasara Committee stated that the schedule and the nature of Dasara will be finalised in the coming two days.
Madikeri Dasara Committee working president K S Ramesh said that a meeting to be chaired by the MLA is scheduled on Friday and the confusion on the allocation of funds will be clear during the meeting.
The festival is likely to be celebrated in a simple manner this year too, he said.
Somesh, a resident of Madikeri, said that last year, a very limited number of people were permitted to take part in Dasha Mantapa and the idols of the deities were carried in tractors.
Madikeri Dasara feels special with spectacular lighting arrangements and people. But, the pandemic has snatched all joy from it, he said.
Merchants said that the response of people during Madikeri Dasara last year was dull.
After witnessing the Mysuru Dasara procession, the tourists would come to Madikeri. This provided livelihood to a lot of people depending on tourism activities. This year too, there may be a low turnout of tourists in Madikeri, they added.