Mysuru: The inaugural ceremony of the newly built memorial for Dasara elephant Arjuna at Balle elephant camp in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (NTR) in HD Kote taluk was on Monday postponed suddenly. It was rescheduled for June 27.Forest minister Eshwar B Khandre was on his way to Balle from Bengaluru and reached Srirangapatna when he suddenly cancelled the event and returned to Bengaluru. While he cited personal reasons, it was alleged that HD Kote MLA Anil Chikkamadu, who is also chairperson of Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR), insisted the minister focus on the elephant problem in the area and asked him to hold a meeting with the foresters to discuss the issue.However, sources close to the minister told TOI that Khandre returned to Bengaluru from Srirangapatna to attend to a medical emergency of a person close to the family. Along with the inauguration of Arjuna’s memorial, he was scheduled to attend Basava Jayanti event at Saraguru town. The event was held in his absence. The minister was also scheduled to hold a meeting with officials of the department from Kodagu district in Balle. The meeting was also cancelled.
