Mangaluru, Sept 17, 2023: The Ganesha festival in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts will observe a general holiday on September 19, with September 18 designated as a regular working day. This decision was officially announced by Deputy Commissioners M.P. Mullai Muhilan and K. Vidyakumari on a Saturday.
Previously, the government had granted authority to the Deputy Commissioners to make a local determination regarding shifting the general holiday from Monday to Tuesday for the festival.
In their respective directives, the Deputy Commissioners cited popular demand for the holiday adjustment, emphasizing that the festival is widely celebrated on Tuesday within the two districts.
Following a request from K. Prathap Simha Nayak, MLC, Minister in charge of Dakshina Kannada, Dinesh Gundu Rao, instructed the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada to take necessary measures to enact this change, acknowledging the community’s preference for celebrating the festival on Tuesday.
Additionally, Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyasa Kamath and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had also voiced their support for changing the general holiday to Tuesday.