The Sampadak Express News Desk
Karnataka Excise Minister K.M. Shivalinge Gowda, the in-charge minister for Hassan district, convened a review meeting on the Hasanamba temple premises in Hassan on Sunday, October 18, 2026, to finalise and trim expenses for the upcoming Hasanamba festival, citing severe drought conditions in the State, The Hindu reported.
According to The Hindu, the session was held in the presence of the public and the media, with district administration officers walking through each line item as the minister sought changes and urged close scrutiny of spending. He directed that expenditures be kept to a minimum this year and asked officials to be vigilant about arrangements.
Mr. Gowda contrasted funding for the Hasanamba festival with the Mysuru Dasara, where departments receive special government allocations. In Hassan, he noted, festival costs are borne by devotees’ contributions. “We have to be on the side of the devotees and the deity. We are not here to favour contractors,” he said, as reported by The Hindu.
During the review, an officer proposed spending about ₹25 lakh on a dog show, an exhibition and related activities. The minister rejected the idea as unnecessary and instructed that the proposal be discarded, The Hindu reported.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Gowda said the tender process was being conducted transparently in the presence of devotees and the media. “We have nothing to hide. The district administration will publish the accounts as a booklet after the festival,” he said, according to The Hindu.
Those present included Hassan MP Shreyas Patel, Deputy Commissioner K.S. Lathakumari, Superintendent of Police Shubhanwita, Zilla Panchayat CEO Shubham Shukla, and Assistant Commissioner Jagadish Gangannavar, who also serves as the temple’s administrator.
The Hindu reported that the Hasanamba festival will begin on October 29, when the doors of the historic Hasanamba temple are opened, and conclude on November 11. The temple opens only during this festival period.
