Mysuru Dasara draws nearly six lakh outside vehicles, lifts tourism

Dasara festivities in Mysuru attracted nearly six lakh vehicles from outside, signalling a major tourism surge. KPCC spokesperson M. Lakshman praised the district minister, senior officials and staff for organising the event in a well‑planned manner under the leadership of Yathindra Siddaramaiah. He said the district administration and police worked together smoothly, with only a few incidents reported on the day of the Jamboo Savari procession. About 8,000 police personnel, eight IPS officers and senior officers of IG, DIG and SP rank were deployed to manage crowds and secure the venue. Security arrangements covered VVIPs and VIPs such as judges, ambassadors, chief ministers of neighbouring states, elected representatives, senior bureaucrats, sportspersons and film personalities. Lakshman rebuked Krishnaraja MLA T.S. Srivatsa for alleging protocol breaches, defending chief minister D.K. Shivakumar’s wife’s flower‑offering at Jamboo Savari as proper. He also lodged a complaint that a Dasara advertisement omitted the district minister’s name and instead showed the Mysuru MP from another party. According to Lakshman, the celebrations projected a positive image of Mysuru nationwide and generated additional tourism revenue. He warned the opposition for focusing on criticism rather than the benefits the festival brought to the city.

Context

Dasara is a major Hindu festival celebrated with a grand procession in Mysuru each year. Large visitor inflows during the event boost local hotels, shops and transport, helping the city’s economy.