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Time of India

Cauvery Aarti will bring togethersouth Indian cultures: Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday announced that the upcoming Cauvery Aarti programme at the KRS reservoir will be developed into a landmark cultural event for south India, bringing together traditions of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry — the states through which the Cauvery flows. "This ritual will become a symbol of Karnataka's culture and heritage," Shivakumar, who also holds the water resources portfolio, said after a meeting at Vidhana Soudha. "It will also serve as a regional celebration by including traditions of Kodagu, Malnad, Coastal Karnataka, Bengaluru, and major religious mutts," he added. Planned as a three-day event every weekend, the programme, a pet project of Shivakumar, will feature a blend of religious ceremonies and cultural performances. A Rs 92-crore budget has already been sanctioned by the Cauvery Corporation for the initiative. Shivakumar said the departments of energy, public works, tourism, muzrai, and Kannada and culture will collaborate for the event. A 10,000-seat gallery for public viewing is also on the drawing board. "We have invited entries for the best theme song for the event," he added. "Most of the designs are ready. Once the plans are finalised, they will be shared with the public," he said. A stage for the rituals will be built on flowing water, and tenders for its construction will be floated shortly. —- Meeting deliberates GBPA implementation Shivakumar also held a high-level review meeting with Bengaluru legislators and senior officials to discuss rain-related damage, city development, and the implementation of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act (GBPA). The meeting, aimed at addressing urban infrastructure challenges and accelerating development initiatives, saw the participation of several cabinet ministers and elected representatives from across the city. Ministers KJ George, Ramalinga Reddy, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, and Krishna Byre Gowda attended the meeting, along with MLAs NA Haris, Rizwan Arshad, Gopalaiah, Satish Reddy, Muniraju, ST Somashekar, Uday Garudachar, CK Ramamurthy, Manjula Limbavali, Ravi Subramanya, Anekal Shivanna, and MLC Sudhamadas. Shivakumar reviewed the preparedness of civic bodies to handle monsoon-related disruptions and instructed authorities to fast-track projects under GBPA for more efficient governance and service delivery in the rapidly growing metropolis.