The Indian Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA), the association has demanded the formation of an “independent state mela authority” to manage and organise fairs so that local artistes can get enough chances and folk arts are promoted. The demand comes after the coming to light of “lapses and irregularities” in the collection and utilisation of crores of rupees meant for fairs and festivals.Armed with information procured under the RTI Act, IPTA’s state convener and RTI activist Lawan Thakur released the list of expenditures and incomes generated by the mela committees of Shivratri, Summer Festival, Hamir Utsav, Minjar, Shivratri of Baijanth and the like in 2006-2007.He said, “The IPTA has taken up nationwide campaign on the cultural issues so that state governments came out with cultural policies as there is no transparent policy for the preservation and promotion of local artistes, folk arts and folk theatres.”
Thakur said, “It has been found that Rs 5 crore was collected by committees for Shivratri, Minjar, Summer Festival, Hamir Utsav, tribal festival of Kinnaur, Nalwar, Holi (Sujanpur), Lavi and Baijnath Shivratri out of which Rs 2.18 crore, about 42.5 per cent, was spent on entertainment.”He said it was found that the government had no fixed norms for giving grants for melas and regulating expenditure on local artistes or on so-called “stars from outside”. For example, the Shivratri mela committee spent only 2.66 per cent of the budget on local artistes. Most of the mela committees did not provide the break-up on this head to the IPTA, raising doubts about the use of funds, he added.He said most of the income (37.16 per cent) was raised by mela committees by renting stalls, while the remaining income came from donations and advertisements. “Most of the funds are collected by officials and heads of the departments in cash and deposited in cash with the committees. Even a multinational company pays the same amount as is paid by a halwai towards stall rent. Officials are paid commission for raising funds, ” he said.DC-cum-president of the Shivratri mela committee Onkar Sharma said, “The effort is to accommodate each and every aspect of the mela and cater to the taste of the people. The funds are raised by members through donations and receipts are issued. The funds are sometime collected in cash and deposited with the committee. Sometime, some lapses also take place, but we try to rectify these from time to time.”Sharma said he was not aware about the officials being paid commission for raising funds. He said he would look into it. “We welcome if the state mela authority is formed by the government,” he added.