The Dasara Festival Committee is optimistic of bringing back the Dasara Air Show this year with the State government directly pursuing its request with the Ministry of Defence.
The show has been a big Dasara attraction since its launch about ten years ago.
Disclosing this to The Hindu, Deputy Commissioner and Dasara Special Officer C. Shikha said, “We have been told that the Sarang helicopter display team is unlikely to perform for certain reasons, but the Indian Air Force’s sky-diving team Akash Ganga may perform.”
A clear picture is expected in a day or two, Ms. Shikha said, adding that they were confident that the air show would make a comeback this year. The air show was not part of the Dasara festivities for last few years. Tourists and locals, especially the schoolchildren, are missing the action.
The 2009 air show was considered one of the biggest as it featured performances by Surya Kiran fixed-wing and Sarang helicopter aerobatic teams. The IAF’s famed Surya Kiran aerobatic team won hearts with its first performance at the Dasara air show. The air show scheduled four years ago was cancelled even though the venue was shifted from Bannimantap grounds to the Lalitha Mahal helipad on the foot of Chamundi Hills.
(The Hindu)
