Providing accommodation for those attending the three-day Kannada Sahitya Sammelan in Madikeri from January 7 has become a major challenge for the reception committee headed by Minister for Public Works H.C. Mahadevappa.
According to T.P. Ramesh, president Madikeri district unit of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, over 8,000 delegates and around 2,000 special invitees, dignitaries, and guests are expected to descend on the small town to participate in the event. While guests are being accommodated in hotels and home stays, lodging facility has been arranged for delegates in marriage halls and educational institutions, he said.
Lodge owners in the town have agreed to keep aside 50 per cent of rooms for Kannada Sahitya Parishat.
Similarly, accommodation has been reserved in over 600 home stays in and around Madikeri. “We have also reserved rooms in lodges at Kushalnagar, about 25 km from Madikeri,” the Minister said.
However, others will have to make their own arrangement for the stay. “Food will be served to all those attending the sammelan,” he said. According to Keshav Kamath, chairman, sub-committee for food, over 300 cooks and 2,000 volunteers had been roped in to provide food for the participants.
Mr. Mahadevappa has convened a meeting of all the sub-committees on Thursday, which will be attended by legislators and Lok Sabha members to review preparations for the event.
“The event is being held after a gap of 33 years in Madikeri. The reception committee is leaving no stone unturned to make it a memorable one. The previous sammelan here was chaired by Sham. Ba. Joshi,” he said.
Mr. Mahadevappa said the estimated expenditure for the event was around Rs. 3.5 crore.
The government has released Rs.1 crore and another Rs.1 crore would be released soon. “The rest will be made good through donations and advertisements. Government servants have agreed to donate a day’s salary for the sammelan,” Mr. Ramesh said.
Considering the possible dip in temperature in Madikeri during the event, the organisers have conveyed to the delegates and others to bring warm clothes.
They have also cautioned against using plastic bags, as Madikeri is a plastic-free zone.
“It has been decided to use cotton bags and plates made of areca leaf to avoid usage of plastic during the event. Any body found littering plastic will be fined,” he added.
