From Our Correspondent
Tura: Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma on Monday kicked-off the two-day Tura Winter Festival which began with a colourful carnival parading through the streets of Tura town before converging at the Chandmary playground for the inaugural programme.
The festival was organized by the West Garo Hills District Administration in collaboration with other departments and the NGOs of Tura with a view to promote tourism.
Delivering the inaugural address as the chief guest before a large gathering, Dr Sangma said that the government has decided to make winter festivals a must in every district “to understand and showcase the potentialities within the region and thereby turn those potentialities into opportunities”. Stressing upon the need to promote the state ‘in totality’, the CM said that the government has embarked upon new programmes and is reaching out to the prospective partners to promote tourism, particularly rural and eco-tourism by way of setting up resorts etc for tourists.
Dr. Sangma said that the government understood the problems of the youth, and with 2012 being declared as the “Year of the Youth”, a number of activities and programmes, including talent-mapping of the youngsters, would be taken up throughout the year. He also announced a prize of Rs 10 lakh for the locality which would be declared the cleanest locality of Tura in the next Winter Festival.
Meanwhile, remarking on the considerable improvement in the State’s financial position, Dr Sangma informed the gathering about the cabinet decision to hold a pre-budget exercise before the upcoming budget session, saying this would help the government to understand the aspirations of the people of the state.
Earlier, the CM released the mementos and the balloons under the theme, “Ship of Unity and Progress” to mark the festival.
Others who spoke on the occasion include Chief Executive Member, GHADC, Purno K. Sangma, MLA of Rangsakona Adolf Lu Hitler Marak, former Minister Miriam D. Shira, President of the Nokmas’ Council Skylance G. Momin and Deputy Commissioner Tura, Sanjay Goyal who also gave a brief introduction about the festival.