Pruned Vidhana Soudha fest: Only Rs 10 crore, two days

BENGALURU: In a major climb down, presiding officers of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council agreed to a moderate budget of Rs 10 crores as against Rs 26 crores proposed earlier for celebrations to mark the diamond jubilee celebrations of Vidhana Soudha here on Tuesday. 

The legislature secretariat had submitted a proposal for celebrations spread over two days-October 25 and 26-with a budget of Rs 26 crores, but Speaker K B Koliwad and Chairman D H Shankaramurthy had no choice but shrink the budget to Rs 10 crores following a meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The Chief Minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, said officials had rejected the elaborate celebrations proposed on two days to mark 60 years of construction of Vidhana Soudha. 

Official sources said Mr Siddaramaiah reportedly told the presiding officers it would not be appropriate to hold extravagant celebrations when many people lost their lives in torrential downpour across the state during last month. 

When contacted, Mr Koliwad, however, declined to disclose details about the celebrations. When his attention was drawn to Mr Siddaramaiah's statement that the finance department would release only Rs ten crores, Mr Koliwad remarked: “We will organise the function with funds to be released by the finance department." 

In response to another query, Mr Koliwad clarified that celebrations would be restricted to a one-day affair while the schedule for second day would be cancelled.