Mysuru: Though the district administration is gearing up for forthcoming Dasara, which is scheduled to be held in September, the state government is yet to clear Rs 6.5 crore due to vendors for the last year Dasara event.
However, the vendors say that this is not new to them as they have been facing the same problem over last three consecutive years. Those who have provided service for the last edition of the festivities are angry and fed up with the government and are now wondering if they should take the risk of being part of this year’s Dasara.
A contractor said that he and many like him extended service after getting credit from banks and from moneylenders, but due to delay in payment by the government they are facing losses as they are paying interest even after eight months of completion of the dasara event.
According to the district administration, the government approved Rs 12 crore for last year dasara, out of which Rs 5 crore has been released and the rest is yet to be released by the government. Though Deputy Commissioner D Randeep has written letters repeatedly to the government for release of remaining grants, the government is yet to release the same.
Speaking on conditions of anonymity, a vendor who has invested lakhs of rupees for the last dasara said, “Every month I am paying minimum of Rs 30,000 as interest to bank. Due to delay in payment by the government, I have given up hopes on my profits. If my payments were made on time, I would have saved lot of money paid towards interest over the last eight months.” He recalls that the payments were cleared within two months earlier and that problem started only three years ago.
When this was brought to the notice of D Randeep, Deputy Commissioner, he said “Government has to give us Rs 6.5 crore. Though we have written more than four letters to them they are not clearing it. I have been communicating with the government with regards to this and there has been no response. There were nearly 22 different committees during last year Dasara and we have made part payments to most of the committees. Lot more are waiting for the clearance.”
