Hassan minister seeks restraint on Hasanamba festival spending amid drought
K.M. Shivalinge Gowda reviewed festival estimates with district officials and objected to a proposed ₹25 lakh package of activities, The Hindu reported.
Hassan district minister K.M. Shivalinge Gowda reviewed proposed spending for the Hasanamba festival with officials at the temple in Hassan, India, on October 18 and urged restraint because of what he described as severe drought in Karnataka, The Hindu reported. His review puts proposed festival activities and the use of devotees’ contributions under scrutiny before the temple opens later this month.
Gowda, Karnataka’s excise minister and the minister in charge of Hassan district, met district administration officers on the temple premises. The public and media were present as he went through the listed estimates item by item and suggested changes, according to The Hindu. He asked officers to watch spending on the arrangements closely.
Proposed ₹25 lakh activities challenged
One officer proposed spending about ₹25 lakh on a dog show, an exhibition and related activities. The Hindu reported that Gowda called the event unnecessary and told the officer to tear up the proposal. It was not immediately clear whether those activities had been formally removed from the final estimates.
Gowda said the Hasanamba festival’s expenses were met through contributions from devotees. He contrasted that arrangement with the Mysuru Dasara celebrations, for which he said the government released special funds to departments. ‘We have to be on the side of the devotees and the deity. We are not here to favour contractors,’ he said, according to The Hindu.
Speaking to reporters, Gowda said tenders were being handled transparently in front of devotees and the media. He promised that the district administration would publish the festival accounts as a booklet after the event. Those accounts would provide a record of the spending once the festival is over.
Hasanamba temple opening dates
The festival is scheduled to begin on October 29, when the doors of the historic Hasanamba temple are due to open, and end on November 11, The Hindu reported. The temple doors open only during the festival. Hassan’s district government describes the Sri Hassanamba Jatra Mahotsav as one of Karnataka’s annual special Jatra festivals.
Hassan MP Shreyas Patel and Deputy Commissioner K.S. Lathakumari attended the review, as did Superintendent of Police Shubhanwita and Zilla Panchayat chief executive Shubham Shukla. Assistant Commissioner Jagadish Gangannavar, who is also the temple’s administrator, was among those present, The Hindu reported.
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Sources and context
- Hassan Minister holds meeting on temple premises to finalise expenses for Hasanamba festivalThe Hindu
- Hasanamba HistoryHassan District, Government of Karnataka
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.