Chief Minister directs officials to make Mysuru flex-free during Dasara

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday directed the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and the city police to ensure that Mysuru remains free of flex posters and publicity materials during the Dasara festivities, except for official Dasara publicity.

Mr. Shivakumar, who reviewed the arrangements for Mysuru Dasara-2026 at the Zilla Panchayat here, said the MCC and police had been instructed to begin clearing unauthorised flex materials from Monday.

He said ambassadors from various countries had been invited to the Dasara festivities, and heads of different religions had been invited to participate in the inauguration atop Chamundi Hill on October 11. Religious heads from various parts of the State would be hosted by the Suttur Mutt, which has taken up the responsibility for their hospitality. The Chief Minister said Sri Gavisiddeshwara Swami of Gavimath in Koppal had been invited to inaugurate the festivities.

“Dasara is our pride. All steps have been taken to make it a grand event,” he said, adding that Ministers had been assigned the responsibility of overseeing events on specific days to ensure discipline in the organisation and prevent inconvenience to visitors. The list of Ministers and the responsibilities assigned to them would be released soon, he said.

Mr. Shivakumar directed the district administration to take the Mysuru royal family into confidence while organising the festivities and to accord due respect to its members by seeking their suggestions and guidance. “Politics should not come into the celebrations,” he said. He said medal winners from Karnataka at the Asian Games would be invited to participate in Yuva Dasara.

A tableau representing the Tibetan community settled in Karnataka, particularly Bylakuppe, would participate in the Dasara procession this year. A special tableau from Dakshina Kannada would also be presented, he said.

The Chief Minister directed the CESC to ensure that the 21-day Dasara illumination remained a major highlight of the festivities. He also instructed officials to make proper arrangements for gold card and ticket holders, including clearly indicating seat numbers to avoid confusion.

Mr. Shivakumar said that multiple folk and cultural teams performing similar programmes should not be allowed to appear separately in the procession. Instead, they should be grouped into larger units to avoid repetition.

He directed the district administration to ensure that tourists were not harassed or inconvenienced during the festivities. Hotel tariffs and rates at other establishments would be monitored to prevent visitors from being fleeced, he added.

Flex-free

The Chief Minister’s directive to make Mysuru free of unauthorised flex posters and publicity materials assumes significance as the city prepares to host thousands of visitors during Dasara.

He directed the MCC and police to remove all flex materials other than official Dasara publicity and ensure that no unauthorised publicity materials, including those carrying his own photographs, are permitted in the city during the festivities.