This story is from October 19, 2016

Activists, politicos condemn fest fiasco

| A technical snag that caused disruption in a musical event during the Ellora-Ajanta International Festival on Saturday evening has evoked sharp reactions from social activists and political leaders.
Activists, politicos condemn fest fiasco
(Representative image)
AURANGABAD: A technical snag that caused disruption in a musical event during the Ellora-Ajanta International Festival on Saturday evening has evoked sharp reactions from social activists and political leaders. They alleged that the district administration was responsible for the flop show and also demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter.
Raju Vaidya, Shiv Sena group leader in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, said it has been exposed that the district authorities did not plan the mega event systematically.
"The festival being held here after a long gap lacked professional touch as the authorities were relying on some private agencies. The disruption in the musical show has sent a wrong message among the tourists and caused an irreparable loss to the tourism industry. The authorities should conduct an inquiry into the matter and take action against those responsible for it," he said.
"The festival was organised to boost tourism, but its purpose has been defeated to a large extent. It is evident from poor participation of foreigners. Moreover, it has been found that the authorities have allotted most of the work to members associated with one particular organisation," he said.
Ram Baheti, district secretary of Communist Party of India, wondered how could such a blunder happen in an event organised for international audiences. "It is really disheartening to see that the authorities did not do their homework. It is absolutely intolerable and the officers responsible should be punished," he said.
Social activist Rajendra Datey-Patil said the organisers have miserably failed take advantage of the mega festival. "The festival has carved a niche for itself at the international level, but Saturday's incident has left a negative impact," he said demanding a free and fair inquiry into the matter.
The technical snag took place amid a musical show disrupting the much-hyped event for about 30 minutes. A fault in power generator set led to the failure of the musical system, thereby affecting the performance of musical director duo Ajay-Atul.
The Aurangabad divisional commisionarate has organised the festival that was inaugurated by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at Ellora on Friday. The festival was aimed at attracting domestic and foreign tourists.
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