Mysuru: The Dasara celebrations, beginning September 21, will, as always, see Mysuru blanketed in security. This time providing it will be over 5,000 policemen, 1,600 home guards, 30 immediate backup support IBUS commandos, and 40 city commandos.
Monitoring the famed Jumbo Savari will be a drone and fixed barricades will prevent the crowd from entering the procession area.
Interestingly, a view point has been created this year atop the with Chamundi hills, where tourists will be able to see the decked up city and the spectacular Jumbo Savari with the aid of two fixed binoculars.
Explaining the security arrangements on Tuesday, Mysuru city police commissioner, Dr A Subramanyeswar Rao told reporters here that the venues of the Dassara festival would be under 24/7 live CCTV surveillance with 66 cameras installed at the Mysuru Palace, the Bannimantap ground, the route of the Jumbo Savari and other important locations in addition to permanent cameras installed across the city.
"We are rounding up 720 rowdy sheeters and habitual offenders as a preventive measure and 30 police help desks will function from 9am to 10pm at important spots during the festival. Helping the police will be 53 pravaasi mithras of the tourism department," the commissioner said, adding that over one lakh pamphlets of dos and don'ts would be distributed among tourists for their safety and experts from neighbouring districts and states would be deployed to prevent crimes like pick-pocketing and bag lifting in the crowded streets.
No vehicles will be allowed up the Chamundi hills from September 22 until the end of Dasara from 6 a.m. to 9.30 p.m.
Nothing’s ready at the fest expo yet!
Despite the best efforts of Mysuru Deputy Commissioner D Randeep, the 90- day Dasara exhibition is unlikely to be fully ready by September 21 when the Dasara festivities take off in the Heritage City, Mysuru.
Except for two stalls of the state departments of tourism and Kannada and culture, stalls of 13 other state government departments, four Union government departments, 16 boards and corporations, and of five Zilla Panchayats of Mandya, Hassan, Karwar, Udupi and Ballari are still not ready for opening for public viewing.
The commercial stalls, food court, amusement park, and parking space, which have been tendered out for Rs 6.66 crore, are not ready to receive visitors either leaving creased foreheads all around.
Clearly disappointed with the lack of preparedness by the departments, Mr Randeep said he had personally visited the Dasara exhibition grounds thrice and had even held four meetings with the KEA, and offered incentives to government departments to be ready on time, but nothing appeared to have worked.
"Of the 37 offerings at the amusement park, only 23 are ready, and at the food court, only 22 of the 38 stalls are ready for opening. Of the 136 commercial stalls, 90 are ready," said Mr Randeep said, adding that the exhibition would have a model of the White House in the US too for public viewing.
