Women hold up traffic

  Following this traffic on the otherwise busy road came to a screeching halt. Later, the agitators  dispersed cursing  fate for taking active part in Dasrara events at the cost of their daily bread.

The contentious issue here was cash prizes that were not issued as allegedly promised earlier to the winners of Mane Mane Dasara competitions. It was for the first such a programme had been organised to create festive mood in all the 65 wards of the city.

Competitions like running race, shotput, rangoli, musical chair and several other events were conducted for two days under the programme seeing the active participation of large chunk of women. What added to their anguish was nepotism. The protesters alleged that ‘Kavitha Raykar daughter of Commissioner of MCC, K S Raykar was given a trophy for winning prizes in Gardening and Arranging Dolls, leaving others in lurch’.

Another protester alleged that the organisers had announced of awarding Rs 1,000 cash prize for first prize winners, Rs 500 for second and Rs 250 for third. However, on Friday, at Kalamandira where the prize distribution ceremony was scheduled only a few were feted with cash prize and memento.

The reason was Medical Education and District In-charge Minister S A Ramdas who was till then distributing the prizes had to attend another programme and left the venue asking the organisers to continue with the programme. However, the organisers announced informing the winners to collect prizes in the counters opened for the purpose. Shock was in store for them, as the first prize winner was given a Kannada book; Namma shareera adara rakshane (our body and its conservation) priced at Rs 65 and another book on ‘Memory power’ priced at Rs 65 for second prize winner. One can imagine the book for third prize winners, the protesters alleged further.