Uncertainty, confusion loom large over literary meet in Haveri

Kannada Sahitya Parishat president Mahesh Joshi has expressed unhappiness over the indifference and non-cooperation of the state government in holding the 86th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in Haveri.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday Mahesh Joshi said, “After several postponements, the Sahitya Sammelana was scheduled for November 11 to 13. But the possibility of holding the literary meet on the scheduled dates looks bleak. District in-charge minister Shivaram Hebbar had recently said that the literary meet may be delayed further, citing the lack of preparedness. Two days later, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the meet would go as per the schedule. We are disappointed over the confusion surrounding the Sammelana,” he lamented.

“After the dates for the literary meet were announced, I wrote to the chief minister several times, urging him to convene a meeting to constitute committees and for the launch of the meet logo. But the chief minister did not respond to my repeated pleas. Also, there is no clarity on the number of sessions and the delegates attending the meet,” he rued.

The president complained that the district administration has not received a single paisa of the Rs 20-crore grant announced by the government.