Mysuru: The inaugural Kambala drew a huge crowd, but poor parking arrangements, confusion over entry and difficulties in accessing the spectator gallery caused inconvenience to visitors and journalists at the venue.
Media personnel arriving as early as 9.30 am struggled to enter the venue, park their vehicles and locate designated areas ahead of the event, scheduled to begin around 10 am.
With no dedicated parking or workspace for the media, several journalists missed the inaugural run and could cover only the stage proceedings and political leaders. Inadequate signage and confusing instructions from the Police added to the difficulties.
Parking was a problem for the public as well as VIPs. With no clear directions on designated parking spaces, vehicles were parked along the Ring Road and service roads, forcing visitors to walk over 500 metres and even farther from some public parking areas, to reach the venue.
With the event spread over 48 hours, the lack of a clear entry-pass system and concerns over crowd movement have raised questions about how the organisers will manage the rush, particularly during the night.
Though passes had reportedly been planned, none had been distributed. Today morning’s crowd was estimated at around 8,000 on both sides of the venue, making crowd management and traffic regulation a challenge.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, Superintendent of Police (SP) Mallikarjun Baladandi said that the event, being held for the first time, had posed planning challenges for the Police, given its 48-hour duration and the expected turnout.
Three SPs are overseeing security arrangements, with around 1,500 Police personnel deployed in shifts to manage the event round the clock.
The deployment includes seven Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) platoons, 10 District Armed Reserve (DAR) teams and four Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs). Four drones are being used for aerial monitoring, while around 75 CCTV cameras have been installed at entry points and other sensitive locations.
The SP acknowledged the difficulties caused by muddy ground conditions in parking areas following recent rains and said, corrective measures were being taken to regulate vehicle movement.
This post was published on October 18, 2026 7:30 pm