Authorities cancel entry tax during Dasara festival

Mysore, Sept 28(UNI) In an effort to boost tourist inflow for the famous Dasara festivities, the government has exempted from entry tax for vehicles coming into Mysore between September 30 to October 12.

According to the order, tourist buses, maxi-cabs, and private vehicles would be exempted from paying any entry fee at the state border during the Dasara period.

District administration sources told UNI that this exemption would be valid only for those vehicles coming into Mysore.

The high entry fee imposed by the government was reckoned to be a major hurdle in boosting tourist inflow to the state.

The temporary reprieve during Dasara was expected to make a positive impact.

Meanwhile, the tourism department was going all out to woo people visiting the city and flood them with information during the Dasara.

As many as 25 kiosks would be established across the city. The kiosks, designed aesthetically by the students of Chamarajendra academy of visual arts, would be manned by volunteers trained to deal with tourists and furnish them with information pertaining to the city and dasara.

The volunteers have been selected from colleges in and around the city, the sources added.

They said that 250 volunteers have been imparted training at the SDM Institute of Management studies and they would be attired in traditional uniform-with girls wearing sari and boys 'kurtha' and 'pyjama'.

Information kiosks will come up at the railway station, city suburban and private bus stands, major places of tourists, such as the palace, KRS reservoir. Chamundi hills and other places.

Each of the 25 kiosks would be equipped with a walkie talkie and a cell phone, and the kiosks would be interlinked.

The authorities are also adopting modern channels of communication, including sponsoring of jingles on 93.5 p m channel.

Welcome arches would be installed at all entry points to Mysore and these would carry not only the Dasara programme schedule, but also details of places of tourist interest in and around Mysore.

The authorities have decided not to promote 'home stay' concept in Mysore this year as their efforts did not yielded a good results, the sources said.

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