As there is strong discontentment among the public over the decision of the State government to end Mysuru Dasara exhibition on December 24 this year, there is a growing demand from stakeholders to extend the expo beyond the New Year.
This is in view of a large number of tourists who are expected to visit Mysuru during Christmas and New Year apart from the Mysuru Winter Festival which is scheduled to be held from December 23 to January 1.
R.B. Anupama, who hails from Koppal, said her relatives from across the State like Chitradurga, Belagavi, and Shivamogga are expected to come to Mysuru to visit the exhibition for a couple of days and purchase clothes and household articles. This is apart from enjoying the different games at the exhibition, she said.
The decision of the government to end the exhibition on December 24 is a rude shock to her and her relatives who have been waiting for Christmas holidays to visit Mysuru vis-à-vis Mysuru exhibition.
Vijayalakshmi from Bengaluru also expressed her dismay and said the exhibition should be extended at least till January 10 as during previous years.
Similar sentiments were echoed by many who have sought an extension of the exhibition till January.
Meanwhile, K.J. Sindhu, Assistant Executive Engineer, Karnataka Exhibition Authority, told The Hindu that the actual duration of the exhibition was 90 days and the government had already extended it by five more days this year.
The exhibition was earlier slated to conclude on December 19. She said that the government might agree to extend the date of the exhibition if the tender holder agrees to pay the amount as per the tender.
Ms. Sindhu further said that the government had extended the event till December 24 by accepting only maintenance charges and it is impossible to run the exhibition for 10 days or more only on these charges.
The government, which realised that shopkeepers had incurred loss owing to rains for a few days at the beginning of the expo, had extended the event by five more days to give them an opportunity to make good the losses, she said.
