Mysuru: Lamenting that Dasara festivities in the city is going commercial with the introduction of tickets for some events, former Mayor Sandesh Swamy observed that such actions will not bring any honour to the Government.

In a press release, Sandesh Swamy, a senior BJP leader and a former City Mayor, said that so far no Government had introduced tickets for watching Yuva Dasara events. But in a deviation from this practise, the current Congress Government has introduced hefty priced tickets (Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 8,000) for watching Yuva Dasara events  from Galleries  each day, he said.

He said that the Government has planned to sell 5,000 tickets daily in order to generate revenues. Pointing out that the spaces for watching will be occupied for ticket holders on one side and the bureaucracy and people representatives on the other, he wondered how the common man can watch the events smoothly after gaining free entry.

Observing that the change in venue of Yuva Dasara events (from Maharaja’s College Grounds to city outskirts) would cause severe inconvenience to a large section of the people as well as tourists, he wanted the District Minister and the officials to reconsider the decision.

Strongly opposing the steep rise in rent of stalls of Dasara Food Mela, which attracts thousands of people every day, he urged the authorities to cut down the rent and thus come to the rescue of foodies. Taking exception to the sharp increase in the  price of Dasara Gold Cards (Rs. 6,500), he also bemoaned the hike in entry fee for Dasara Expo (from Rs. 50 to Rs. 55).

Noting that Dasara is a festival celebrated by all classes and sections of the society, he said that the festivities should be a wholly cultural and inclusive one and the Government should not use this grand festival for filling its coffers. Swamy also wanted the Government to form a Dasara Authority.