Shimoga, October 8, 2013: Confusions related to the district administration’s decision to shift the venue of the Dasara festival from Nehru Stadium to National Education Society (NES) ground should end, member of the Rajya Sabha and president of the Bharatiya Janata Party district unit Ayanur Manjunath has said.

BJP leaders and representatives of a number of organisations had opposed the decision.

The BJP is of the opinion that it is convenient and safe to celebrate Dasara at Nehru Stadium, which accommodates a bigger crowd, he said. Insisting that the party was not interested in creating a controversy over the issue, he said, the priority for the party was to ensure that Dasara was celebrated in a grand and peaceful manner.

Calling upon people to respect the decision of the district administration, which according to him, took the decision after elaborate consultation. “People should extend necessary cooperation,” he told presspersons in the city on Monday.

He attributed the confusion surrounding the change of venue to the diverse opinions given by two sets of expert on the issue. Prior to the laying of synthetic track at Nehru Stadium, Mr. Manjunath said, experts from the Department of Sports and Youth Empowerment had said that the venue would be available for important public functions even after the laying of a new track. However, after the laying of the track was over, another panel of experts from the Department of Sports and Youth Empowerment visited Nehru Stadium and recommended a ban on non-sporting activities at the venue to prevent any possible damage to the track. “The contradictions in the opinions expressed by exerts before and after the laying of the new track led to confusion,” he said.

Source: The Hindu, October 8, 2013