Jatra, event organisers miffed about EC’s single window system; seek exemption

HUBBALLI: April is the month of annual temple fairs and the birth anniversaries of Hanuman, Mahaveer, Ambedkar and Basaveshwar. However, event organisers are allegedly being inconvenienced by officials as the singlewindow system, set up to issue permission, has not been streamlined in the district.
It is called a single window process, but permission seekers must visit the RO's office, Karnataka One office, police station and ACP's office in the twin cities.
Disappointed, they are now demanding that all religious ceremonies be exempt from permission, as officials can verify political connections to the events, if any.
Prof GV Valasang, chairman of Sri Katti Mangaladevi Temple and Sri Veeranjaneya Temple committee, LIngaraj Nagar, told TOI that he went to apply for permission from the single window set-up at HDMC, for the HD Central assembly constituency on Saturday.
“Though we had intimated Vidyanagar police station and ACP North on March 27 in writing, officials directed us to pay the fee for the sound system at HD-1 centre located at Glass House. When we arrived there, the staff was on leave and we were sent to the Karnataka One centre in IT Park. There, we had to wait for an hour as the server was down. After getting the receipt there, we returned to HDMC in the evening. As it was too late, officials told us to visit on Monday, to obtain the permission copy,” he said.
Sandeep Budihal, principal of KSS College, said that he went to get permission for a seminar on Ambedkar on Saturday.
“The staff deployed at the single window centre insisted we get a receipt for the sound system from the Karnataka One centre. When the district administration calls it ‘single window’, it should accept the fee there itself,” he argued.
Both parties said that when the Election Commission insisted that applications must be submitted 48 hours before the event, the single window system should work on all holidays until MCC is in force.
On the other hand, Basavaraj Kushtagi, a staff member deployed at HD Central assembly single window centre , said that Sunday is a holiday. When contacted, Dharwad disrict deputy commissioner Gurudatta Hegde said that all election permission services are unified under a single window system.
“If we get specific complaints from citizens, we will streamline the arrangement. We will also facilitate the acceptance of sound systems in all single window units in the district," he assured.