Mangaluru : Umashree, Minister for Kannada and Culture, said that some modifications can be brought into the traditional folk sport of “Kamabala” (the-buffalo race) rather than banning it.

It may be recalled that the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences had banned “Kambala” in Udupi district on November 15 and in Dakshina Kannada district on November 21, following objections raised by the Animal Welfare Board of India.

“Kambala” is popular rural folk sport in Tulunadu, which comprises of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts and Kasaragod district of Kerala.

Speaking to presspersons here, Ms. Umashree said that the legislators and Ministers of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada district had already opposed the ban imposed on Kambala, which is being held in the region for centuries. All the other Ministers of the State Government too were in agreement of this view. “Kambala is both a folk art and a folk sport. Hence a ban on it is incorrect. Some modifications can be brought in Kambala,” she said.