The proposed Pune Festival in Kashmir by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has been cancelled as the budgetary provision of Rs20 lakh has been transferred to another project.
Speaking to DNA, the president of NGO Sarhad, Sanjay Nahar, said the Pune Festival would be held in Srinagar in March 2011 with public funding and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation’s support although the PMC has transferred the budgetary
provision.
Sources in the ruling coalition of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress in the civic body said the decision to cancel funding was taken in view of severe public criticism regarding money spent by the PMC for such festivals.
The PMC’s general body, in its meeting on November 24, passed a resolution to transfer the budgetary allocation for Pune Festival in Jammu and Kashmir to cover expenditure made for cultural events organised by the PMC during Maharashtra’s golden jubilee year celebrations. These events were organised at Shaniwarwada.
Nahar has been instrumental in promoting the festival in Kashmir. He said some prominent artistes have shown readiness to perform without honorarium. Many citizens, including some corporators, have shown interest in attending the festival with their own money.
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation has shown readiness to arrange for hospitality for artistes. “The Pune Festival in Kashmir will be organised with public support,” he said. Civic activist, Vijay Kumbhar, who has been opposing the organisation of the festival, welcomed the PMC’s decision. He said it means that those who have been promoting themselves in the name of cultural festivals have learned a lesson.
The Pune Festival in Kashmir was scheduled in mid-July but it had to be postponed following the violence in the Valley.
The PMC standing committee in June 2010 had passed a proposal for donating Rs20 lakh for a Pune Festival to be held in Jammu & Kashmir. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had opposed the
decision.
