Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Jun 30: Bowing under incessant pressure to lower the rental for the renovated town hall, which the artistes have been terming as exorbitant, the city corporation council, which met under the presidentship of mayor, Kavita Sanil, on Thursday June 29, decided to slash the rent by 50 percent. New rate will be effective from July 1.
The mayor had recently given her preliminary approval for the slashing of the rent for town hall, on which most groups of artists are dependent on because of affordability. After renovation, rental of the town hall had been upwardly revised, and there were complaints that the hall, which was expected to support cultural groups and artistes, has been taken away from their reach. The preliminary approval of the mayor was adopted in the midst of din which prevailed during the general session of the council.
When they recently met under the presidentship of the mayor, the artistes had urged her to bring down the rent of the town hall that had been doubled upon renovation. Agreeing to their demand, the mayor had given preliminary approval for their request. However, when the issue came up for discussion at the general session, chairperson of standing committee on taxes, Pratibha Kulai, walked out of the session, expressing her anger at the fact that the mayor had taken this unilateral decision without bringing the matter to the notice of her or the committee headed by her, under whose jurisdiction the issue falls.
BJP councillor, Roopa D Bangera, appreciated the mayor and welcomed the decision, which she said has come as a bounty for artistes. Several corporators, some of them from Congress, took objection to the decision having been taken without bringing it to the notice of the standing committee. Congress corporator, Muhammed, felt that before bringing down the rate, approval of the general session of the council should have been obtained. Deepak felt that decision on reduction of rent should have been arrived after calculating maintenance and other expenses of the town hall. D K Ashok demanded for the issue to be referred to standing committee on taxes for consideration.
During this period, chairperson of standing committee on health, Nagaveni, walked out. Dayanand Shetty of CPM too felt that the mayor was not right in taking unilateral decision on the subject. The mayor said that a number of artistes had pleaded to bring down the rent of the town hall. She recollected that they also had expressed displeasure at the dwindling number of Yakshagana performances during the monsoon months because of rent hike. She said that the reduction was permitted for helping the artistes to get opportunities to perform.
"I have no political mileage to gain out of this act. If this is moved through standing committee, the artistes will have to wait for five months. Therefore, the rent of the town hall has been brought down to make it accessible to all by way of preliminary approval," she clarified. Thereafter, chief whip, M Shashidhar Hegde, announced that the decision has been adopted.
As per the new approval, rent of the hall has been brought down from Rs 10,000 a day to Rs 5,000 for free of cost Yakshagana performances, plays, Talamaddale, cultural programmes, Harikathe, felicitation meetings, Bharatnatyam, magic, government programmes etc. Deposit has been pruned down from 15,000 to Rs 10,000.For these programmes, with air-conditioning, the hall, which used to cost Rs 45,000 will henceforth be charged Rs 25,000. Rate cuts have been affected for other programmes being held at town hall too.