But no entry for visitors to tourist sites in Mandya, Kodagu if they have not voted

Mysore/Mysuru: Even as the Mysuru District Administration is making all efforts to draw the public to the polling booth to vote on May 10, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr. K.V. Rajendra has clarified that all tourist places in  Mysuru will remain open on that day as usual.

As there was no formal notification from the administration about the opening of tourist sites, the DC told Star of Mysore this morning that the places of tourist interest in Mysuru will be open.

“This includes the Mysore Palace and the Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens (Mysuru Zoo). The staff will vote in rotation. Also, we will depute personnel at the entrances to urge tourists from Karnataka to vote,” Dr. Rajendra said.    

 In a related move, the Deputy Commissioner has postponed all kinds of shandies, jatras, and festivals that have been scheduled on May 10 to facilitate polling and at the same time maintain order.

The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) sources said that many tourism sites in Karnataka will be closed on May 10 to enable the staffers to vote and the staff have been given a holiday. The facilities will be managed by skeletal staff, they said.

“We want to discourage people from turning the polling day into a holiday. We have a small percentage of bookings on May 10 and all of them are from outside Karnataka and they will leave the accommodations on May 9 or in the early morning of May 10,” KSTDC and Jungle Lodges officials said.

While officers from Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves have maintained that they have not got any formal intimation from the authorities to cancel safaris, a final decision has not yet been taken in this regard. “We will have to wait for the order from the DC,” Bandipur and Nagarahole officials said.

Restriction in Mandya, Kodagu

Meanwhile, eligible voters will not be allowed entry to tourist places in Mandya district if they have not cast their vote on May 10. In an order, Mandya DC H.N. Gopalakrishna said that in view of the holiday declared on May 10, visitors will not be allowed to the places of tourist interest between 6 am and 6 pm if they have not cast their votes.

 Entry will be permitted only if they show their inked finger, the order said. The ban will be implemented in Krishna Raja Sagar, Brindavan Gardens, Muthathi, Shivanasamudra Water Falls, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Balamuri and Dariya Daulat Palace.

The Kodagu District Administration too has taken a similar decision and has decided not to allow tourists to places there if the visitors have not exercised their franchise. The order applies to all the tourist places managed by the Government like the Raja’s Seat, General Thimayya War Memorial and Museum, Abbi Falls in Madikeri, and Mallalli Falls in Somwarpet. The order, however, does not apply to children and tourists from outside Karnataka.