Madikeri:

A delegation led by the Dasara committee president and the city municipal committee president H M Nandakumar and minister Appachu Ranjan met chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who has promised Rs 50 lakh for this year too, just as last year.

A demand for an increase in funds was not sanctioned due to the present drought condition in the state. The Dasha Mantapa Samithi conducted a meeting at Madikeri and elected Kundurumotte committee representative T P Rajendra as the new president for the Dasha Mantapa Samithi this year.

The president will be responsible for presenting the views of the Samithi before the Dasara committee, appointing judges for deciding the best mantaps and also carrying out other traditional works. A new logo was released by the Dasha Mantapa Samithi.

The Dasara committee has accepted to release Rs 1.75 lakh to each Mantapa Samithi, subject to the condition that the representatives do not misbehave themselves during the distribution of prizes for best performances.

Nandakumar, the Dasara committee president, has strictly communicated this message to all the mantap representatives. Every year, the losing Mantapa Samithis have expressed their ire by not accepting the consolation prize and by raising slogans against the main Dasara committee even though the judges are selected by the Mantapa committees and the main Dasara committee has nothing do with it.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Mangalore / TNN, September 23rd, 2012