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WORLD  Iskcon Festival Runs Into Rough Weather FROM THE HINDU INDIA, Jun 18 (VNN) — Kolkata, June 13. (PTI): The world famous Rath Yatra of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has run into rough weather with the apex body of decorators here boycotting the ISKCON management on grounds of non-payment of previous dues to one of its influential members. The bitter development, which came just a week ahead of the car festival, puts a question mark on the smooth conduct of the carnival dubbed as the second best in the world after Puri. While the three chariots of Jagannath, Balbhadra and Subhadra were being given final touches by private artisans hired by ISCKON, the decorators, entrusted with creating the 'resting abode' for the divine siblings in the Maidan area in central metropolis have stopped work on the pandals demanding immediate payment of a backlog of over Rs 83,000. "The ISKCON management owed us Rs 8,88,000 on account of the mela structure that we put up at the Maha Kumbh Mela of 2001, of which they had paid us an advance of Rs 52,000. Over three years down the line, they still owe us the amount," proprietor of M/s M A Associates A K Rudra alleged. Though it signed contracts for the car festival in 'good faith' in the subsequent years, the firm has put its foot down this year and is fighting a legal battle with the ISKCON management following which city-based Decorators' Samiti, of which Rudra is the secretary, has boycotted the mega carnival. When contacted ISKCON manager Akhilatma Priya Das told PTI that the present management had nothing to do with the previous dues since the faction-riddled global body of Krishna devotees was then being run by a separate sect under the banner of ISKCON Revival Movement (IRM) with Adridharan Das as its president. Story Link Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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