By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 22: The Cherry Blossom Festival took centre stage in the House on Friday when VPP legislators questioned the financial aspect of hosting the festival, drawing Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s ire.
VPP’s North Shillong MLA, Adelbert Nongrum questioned the CM, who holds the Finance portfolio, if Meghalaya can afford to host a festival of this magnitude. He also wanted to know if the government would show the same enthusiasm to host indigenous festivals highlighting the traditional culture of the state.
VPP supremo and Nongkrem MLA, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit raised the issue of Meghalaya’s dismal economic condition.
The CM, visibly unhappy, rebuked this “narrow vision” and called out the VPP legislators for being microscopic.
“Everybody here is working towards making Meghalaya one of the best states…am I wrong in thinking so…or should I just give up?” he questioned.
The CM questioned the hypocrisy in mentioning the poor economical condition of Meghalaya and at the same time standing against festivals which only improves tourism and contributes to the economy.
“We need tourism to develop and we need to play to our strengths,” he stated.
“We are not hosting festivals only for enjoyment. Do they even realize the number of people, shops, restaurants that will be benefitted? The economy will get a boost; this is the basics of tourism. We will be working to ensure Cherry Blossom becomes the best possible festival in the entire country and it becomes a calendar event,” he added.
Joining in the discussion, Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh emphasized Meghalaya’s reputation as the music capital of India and highlighted the cultural and artistic significance of events like the Cherry Blossom Festival, which is scheduled to be held in November.
He explained that hosting such festivals serves to promote Meghalaya on a global scale, attracting tourists and boosting the state’s tourism industry.
He also revealed that the government does not cover the entire cost of these festivals, with financial support coming from corporate sponsorships and ticket sales.
Lyngdoh shared that the 2021 edition of the festival drew 45,000 attendees out of which 10,000 were tourists. Similarly, the Me’Gong Festival in Tura had a substantial turnout of 3.5 lakh, with a significant number of them being tourists.
Moreover, the Cherry Blossom Festival’s ticket sales in 2022 alone amounted to Rs 1.25 crore, with projections indicating potential sales of up to Rs 2 crore in the current year, Lyngdoh said.
The minister further explained that the amount of Rs 7.5 crore for promotion and publicity of the festivals had received approval from the House during the budget session in March, and thereby there is no supplementary demand added.
“However, the sanctioned amount for the festival is Rs 1.99 crore and expected expenditure would go up to Rs 8.49 crore. The deficit is targeted to be met through ticket sales and corporate sponsorships,” the minister explained.