ITANAGAR, March 31 � Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Minister Pema Khandu chalked out a detailed road map for the successful conduct of the much-awaited Tawang Festival � a mega tourism extravaganza there in the month of May.
The high level meeting in this regard at the Tawang Deputy Commissioner�s conference hall on Monday was attended among others by Tawang MLA Tsering Tashi, Department of Karmik & Adhyatmik Affairs (DoKAA) Chairman Jambey Wangdi, Tawang DC Abhishek Dev, HoDs, Panchayat leaders, officials from Army, SSB, BSNL and local NGOs. It was chaired by Tourism Minister Pema Khandu.
Zeroing in on the festival dates, May 1 to 3, local MLA Tsering Tashi called for �a vegetarian and alcohol free festival�. He emphasized on celebrating the festival with an appropriate theme.
DC Abhishek Dev stressed on putting a stringent tab on the closing time of stalls and �routine� for serving liquor in the eateries to ward off any untoward incident.
The Tourism Minister said, �Tawang Festival is no more a community or regional fest. It has grown into a full-fledged global event and is the most favoured event which draws mammoth flow of tourists, keen to savour our rich tradition,� he said declaring that the festival will now be an annual event. �Such festivals showcase our rich, varied and unique lifestyle, culture and traditions to the outside world. Moreover, no India-made foreign liquors (IMFL) should be served at the rendezvous,� the minister asserted, forbidding the sale of IMFL in a bid to promote the local brews and cuisines during the festival.
DoKAA Chairman Jambey Wangdi, while appealing everyone to work for maintaining the sanctity of the land, pushed for highlighting more cultural and traditional heritage of the region during the celebrations.
