Dasara Executive Committee meeting

Urban Development and Mysuru District Minister Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah chairing the Dasara Executive Committee meeting at Zilla Panchayat Hall in city this morning.

Mysuru: Urban Development and Mysuru District Minister Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah directed officials to ensure systematic arrangements for the Mysuru Dasara celebrations, stressing that Gold Pass holders for the Jumboo Savari should be guaranteed seats and that the number of passes issued must not exceed the available seating capacity in the Palace premises.

Chairing the Dasara Executive Committee meeting at D. Devaraj Urs Hall in the Zilla Panchayat premises this morning, the Minister said, the Gold Pass system followed last year should continue, with the passes reserved exclusively for public purchase. During the 2025 celebrations, seating was arranged for around 50,000 spectators at the Palace premises, while 3,000 Gold Passes were issued.

He also suggested extending special access to Gold Pass holders to major tourist attractions, including Chamundi Hill, Mysore Palace and Mysuru Zoo.

Directing officials to expedite civic works, Dr. Yathindra said, all ongoing road projects in Mysuru should be completed before Dasara. The Minister said, 17 Sub-Committees would be constituted to oversee various aspects of Dasara celebrations.

Set up Help Desks

MLA Tanveer Sait said, Dasara should continue to be celebrated as a true people’s festival with greater public participation. He suggested constituting a committee with a fixed number of non-official members to make the programmes more inclusive and meaningful.

With a large influx of tourists expected during the festivities, Sait cautioned hotels against creating artificial demand and proposed setting up Help Desks across Mysuru to provide reliable information to visitors.

He recommended operating special tongas at fixed fares for illumination tours, ensuring separate seating arrangements for Gold Pass holders, making advance parking arrangements at event venues and introducing adventure sports to attract visitors.

A humane Operation Footpath

Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Dr. Yathindra said, he had instructed Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) officials to carry out Operation Footpath in a humane manner.

While directing officials to clear encroachments causing traffic congestion, he said that alternative vending zones should be identified so that vendors’ livelihoods were protected even as pedestrian movement and traffic flow improved.

The meeting was attended by MLAs Anil Chikkamadu, Ramesh Babu Bandisiddegowda and Darshan Dhruvanarayan; MLCs Dr. D. Thimmaiah, K. Vivekananda and R. Raghu Kautilya. MLA K. Harishgowda visited the meeting briefly.

Among the officials present were Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baladandi, MCC Commissioner M.K. Savitha, Information & Public Relations Commissioner M.N. Anucheth, Additional DC R. Aishwarya, Mysuru Development Authority Commissioner B.R. Mahesh, Mysore Palace Board Deputy Director T.S. Subramanya, besides heads of various Departments and Nodal Officers.

No decision yet on Dasara Kambala

Responding to queries on the proposal to organise Kambala during Dasara amid concerns over environmental impact, water consumption and cultural relevance, Dr. Yathindra said no final decision had been taken.

The proposal has been placed and officials have only been asked to make preliminary preparations. A final decision on conducting Dasara Kambala has not yet been taken, he told the reporters before the meeting.