They will now be provided with free flight tickets to attend meet in Belgaum tomorrow, thereby putting an additional burden of Rs 15 lakh on the exchequeru00a0 Netas attending the Vishwa Kannada Sammelana in Belgaum have demonstrated their strength in numbers and forced organisers not to sell flight tickets, but give them away for free instead. Now the exchequer will have to pay Jet Airways a total of Rs 15 lakh since each plane chartered costs Rs 7.5 lakh. <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/mar/netas.jpg" border="5" /> No more bumpy ride: R Ashok, minister for Home and transport, had allegedly made it clear that he would not travel in a bus and demanded that an air ticket be issued to him. File pic BJP leaders including some ministers mounted pressure on the organisers demanding free tickets and eventually the organisers were forced to concede. R Ashok, minister for Home and transport, had allegedly made it clear that he would not travel by road and demanded that a ticket be issued to him. Please, just 1 ticket Politicians have been turning out in droves and the government is even considering chartering a second flight to accommodate them. "I agree it is public money that is being spent on this event, but it can't be helped as travel arrangements have to be made for participants according to their standards. Also, there is nothing wrong with representatives of the people asking for it," said B N Vijayakumar, a BJP MLA from the city. As per the original plan, the organisers booked an ATR 62 from Jet Airways to fly special dignitaries including N R Narayana Murthy of Infosys, who is inaugurating the meet tomorrow. While 25 seats were reserved for the dignitaries, the rest were to be sold for Rs 10,000 per ticket. "Earlier we planned to sell tickets to NRI participants and attendees," said I M Vittalamurthy, special officer of the meet. "But, we are considering dropping the idea as no seats will be left after accommodating the dignitaries and various leaders" he added. Family package While dignitaries and leaders have been accommodated, they are urging for seats for family members as well. Organisers are now in a dilemma whether to charter a second flight to accomodate everyone. "I have been invited and have a ticket for the flight. But, how can I go alone? One or two members of my family should be allowed to join me as I am aged," said a noted writer. An official from the state tourism department, which is coordinating transport plans said that the fight would take off from Bangalore tomorrow morning at 10.45 am, but the final list was not ready as requests are still pouring in. Not finalised Union ministers representing the state including S M Krishna, Mallikarjuna Kharge, Veerappa Moily and K H Muniappa are expected to take part in the event. However, it is not clear whether they would fly from Mumbai to Belgaum or take the free flight from Bangalore. "We have not yet received details about how many members of the Chief Minister's family will be accompanying him for the event and therefore, the final list is yet to be prepared. We have arranged Volvo buses for most leaders, but no one is interested in traveling by road. Going by the demand, I think we may have to book a second flight," said the official. Back to work The return flight is scheduled for the night on March 13, following the end of the meet. Organisers are hoping that Narayana Murthy will stay back for all three days after inaugurating the meet. However, A P Panduranga, a spokesperson of Murthy, said "He has appointments in London and will leave from Belgaum to Mumbai on Saturday." Lot of food for thought Participants and visitors are in for a culinary delight as the organisers promise to serve an assortment of dishes to tease the taste buds. Minister and district in-charge, Umesh Katti has appointed Chikodi MP Ramesh Katti, who is food committee chairman, to oversee the operation. Ramesh spoke to MiD DAY saying, "This is not only a meeting, but a time for Kannadigas from all over the country and world to reunite and celebrate and make it a memorable moment in history of the state." As a food incharge, he has planned a variety of dishes including Jowar, Maize and Bajra. Each day, one variety will be prepared, and over the three-day meet, he plans to have 25 lakh rotis prepared and served. Side dishes will include special curries of Brinjal, mixed kurma baji and Bengal gram Palya and several other famous dishes. The committee will also serve 50 gm sachets of Kunda, Kardant and Ladaki Laddu after lunch every day.

They will now be provided with free flight tickets to attend meet in Belgaum tomorrow, thereby putting an additional burden of Rs 15 lakh on the exchequer

Politicos succeed in bullying organisers

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