Staff forced to sell fundraiser tickets for musical show Bhoomigeetham
Picture for representational purpose
Kochi: Government employees are peeved about the way they are being forced to sell the musical stage show tickets for collecting money to buy land for landless by the government. Tickets with rates from Rs 1,000 to Rs 25,000 are being distributed by district collectors through department heads to the employees, and government machinery and other avenues are being explored to sell the tickets and raise the money.
The musical show titled ‘Bhoomigeetham’ piloted by film director Siddique is to be held first at Ernakulam Marine Drive on August 31 and later at every district headquarters. Entry for one is allowed in the pass, said one employee.The government employees are of the opinion that some of the departments like sales tax, civil supplies, excise, motor vehicles, police and PWD may be able to force their 'customers' to buy these tickets, but many others in departments like rural development, economics and statistics, mining and geology, agriculture, dairy development and animal husbandry are helpless.
Each office has been given target of lakhs of rupees while the target of Ernakulam collector himself is around Rs2 crore for the show at Ernakulam. However, collector M.G. Rajamanickam, who has written letters to department heads requesting them to sell the tickets, denied having received any target. The artistes have volunteered to stage the show for free.
“How can we sell these tickets? Those coming to our office will see this as a nuisance and would stare at us. If it was lottery like Karunya, we would have been in a better position to sell it. When the land cost is so high in Kerala, how can the government hope to raise enough money to purchase so many acres of land through such shows,” said an exasperated employee.
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