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| Image rebuilding exercise or what? | | CM's empty coffers dish out lakhs for cultural show in Delhi | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Nov 17: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has no money for unemployed but his office is spending more than Rs. 50 lakhs on a cultural festival being organized at New Delhi to purportedly showcase 'artistic magnificence of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions.'
Interestingly, empty coffers forced the young Chief Minister's administrative machinery to devise 'stipendiary mode of employment' but the same set of officers reportedly advised the tech-savvy Omar Abdullah to hold mega cultural festival at India International Centre (IIC) New Delhi for three days from December 2 to December 4. Sources said that the 'festival have been outsourced to a local non-governmental organization, based in Jammu."
They added that Chief Minister's office is directly coordinating the entire festival while Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) has been romped in to ensure that other NGOs do not cry hoarse over the preference being given to one particular NGO whose founder's political connections are well known to one and all. Besides, sources disclosed that Academy has to do the job of disbursement of funds earmarked for the mega festival.
Apart from these two jobs, JKAAC L has literally nothing to do with the festival which, according to officials in the civil secretariat has been designed with intent to improve 'badly damaged image' of state government in New Delhi. Sources said that Principal Secretary to Chief Minister B.B. Vyas held five meetings in connection with the mega cultural festival and directed the authorities to extend all possible help to the NGO in making the festival a big hit.
They said that JKAACL has been asked to play second fiddle and keep its hands off from interfering in the working of the said NGO. Sources shared that entire festival would be designed by a private enterprise engaged by the said local NGO while adding that one man has been made incharge of diverse cultural mosaic of all the regions and sub-regions of the state, only because of his high profile political connections especially proximity with one of the NC stalwarts.
Stating that Chief Minister's office took almost a unilateral decision and engaged the NGO without even consulting the cultural ministry went ahead with concept of organizing a cultural mela at New Delhi. Artists who have been running NGOs of international repute have objected to the manner in which Chief Minister's office ignored them and chose a particular NGO for the job. They assert that since a huge amount is involved, tendering should have been done first.
"We are not against anyone. Our simple demand that tendering should have been done and thereafter, the NGO with lowest bid should have been given the job. Ironically, political connections outweigh talent in Jammu and Kashmir. If after competitive bidding, the local NGO would have got the work, we would have extended all possible help. But that is not the case," said an artist who runs a local NGO in Jammu and has performed outside the country as well.
It needs to be mentioned here that around 300 artists from all regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are likely to participate in the mega show. Main attractions of 'Jammu Kashmir Festival' include Dhambali Dance of Kashmir, Chabskyantses of Ladakhi, Gojri folk Music, Kashmiri Chakri Music, Punjabi Dance, Pahari Folk Dance, Dogri Haran Dance, Kashmiri Bhand Theatre, Purgi Dance of Kargil, Dogri Kud Dance, Kashmiri Bachnagma and Dogri Chhajja dance
Besides, the three day mega cultural event would include performances of light music, classical music and vocal, presentation by the young artists' and a specially designed show on cultural heritage of Jammu and Kashmir festival featuring 100 children, Sufi festival, a theatre festival, visual art festivals, interactive folk dance and bands nights. |
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