MANGALURU: Karnataka State Kambala Association president Aikala Bava Deviprasad Shetty has urged the state government to reserve budgetary allocation of Rs 2 crore for the 25 Kambala events planned in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
Shetty said that the Kambala Association received recognition as a sports body under the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports. “With this, Kambala has been recognised as a state sport. It is a traditional sport of coastal districts, including neighbouring Kasargod.
This year, we have planned 25 Kambala events starting from November 15, and two new Kambala events will be held at Harekala and Badagabettu. We have urged the state government to allocate Rs 2 crore in the budget with Rs 8 lakh for each Kambala,” he said, adding that there are plans to bring in sponsors for Kambala events on the IPL model.
He added that a bylaw will be readied to ensure there is no violence against the buffalo used for the sport, and the organisers and participants strictly follow a specific time frame.
“We will take a decision on blacklisting the organisers or the Kambala jockeys if they fail to adhere to the rules. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed Naveen Raj Singh, Principal Secretary of the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, to come up with a bylaw on budget allocation for the Kambala sport. The association will soon release a rule book that participants and organisers must follow,” he said.