Deputy Commissioner S. Sasikanth Senthil, who is also the convenor of the organising committee of the 82nd Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelan in Raichur, has invited people to take part in the event with their families. He was addressing media representatives after holding the last-leg meetings of the sub-committees at the Jal Nirmal Bhavan Conference Hall in the Raichur Zilla Panchayat on Tuesday.
Mr. Senthil said that all works and tasks, except some road repairs and decoration work, have been completed well before the commencement of the literary festival. “All tasks, including arrangements for food, accommodation, stage, pandal, transportation and others, have been completed. The literary event would be held in such way that every participant would fondly remember it for a long time,” he said.
Asked about the financial condition of the organising committee, Mr. Senthil said that there would no dearth of funds for organising the event as planned. He said that Rs. 6 crore of the sanctioned Rs. 6 crore, had been released and another Rs. 1.25 crore came from the contributions of government employees (a day’s salary from each employee).
Besides, Rs. 90 lakh has been raised from Hutti Gold Mines Limited, Mysore Sales International Limited, Karnataka Power Corporation Limited, — all government of Karnataka undertakings — and others in the form of donations, he added.
“Food arrangements for one lakh people, including 8,000 delegates, have been made. We have deployed 3,000 volunteers, and a thousand government staff will work in coordination with 33 sub-committees. As many as 60 NEKRTC buses, 50 school buses and 27 VIP vehicles are in the district administration’s possession for transporting delegates and guests. As many as 478 rooms in hotels and guesthouses are in our possession and three lakh packed drinking water bottles are ready,” Mr. Senthil said.
Shivaraj Patil, MLA, Jayanna, vice-president of the City Municipal Council, and others were present.
