Mysore Dasara to have green touch

Chief guests at various programmes to be honoured with saplings, books & art instead of garlands or bouquets

The 2014 Dasara will have a green touch. Chief guests invited for various programmes will be honoured with saplings, books and art pieces instead of expensive garlands or bouquets and mementos.

At the recent high-level committee, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had given a direction to the officials organising the celebrations to make Dasara plastic-free. Mysore zilla panchayat president Pushpa Amarnath had asked the district in-charge minister to offer saplings to the chief guests to make the celebrations environment-friendly.

Following this, deputy commissioner C Shikha, who is also the Dasara Special Officer, has directed all those concerned with Dasara programmes to honour the guests with saplings, books and art pieces instead of expensive mementos and garlands, and also a check expenditure.

Addressing a meeting of officials today, she said the sub-committee for arts could organise art camps before the commencement of Dasara and the art works produced there could be offered as mementos to chief guests invited for the various programmes. Similarly, books published by the Department of Kannada and Culture could be presented to them.

The sub-committee relating to herbal gardens had come forward to offer plants free of cost. They would be made available to the sub-committees depending upon their requirements and Zilla Panchayat Deputy Director Mahadev would be the nodal officer for the purpose.

So also, accommodation required by sub-committees would be provided by the concerned committee, the DC said.

Asking the officials to make arrangements within the amounts sanctioned to their sub-committees, Shikha said spending money for same items should be avoided. A sum of Rs 12 crore had been allocated for this year Dasara  and this included Rs 1 crore each for Chamarajanagar and Mandya districts.

She announced allocation of Rs 1 crore for Dasara sports, wrestling Rs 35 lakh, film festival Rs 13 lakh, children’s Dasara and Yoga Dasara Rs 7 lakh each, women’s Dasara and fine arts and handicraft Rs 6 lakh each, reception committee Rs 3 lakh and food festival Rs 1 lakh.