Manali carnival off to colourful start

Our Correspondent

KULLU, January 2

After paying obeisance at Hadimba Devi temple, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur flagged off cultural tableaux marking commencement of the five-day national-level Winter Carnival at Manali today. The festival was not held in 2020 and 2021 amid the Covid crisis. The tableaux parade by Mahila Mandals, various departments and institutions exhibited Himachali art, culture, festivals, artisans and cottage industries, besides the development in tourism.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated the cultural programme at Manu Rangshala. He said various spots would be developed as tourist places to boost tourism. The rock climbing wall in Manali would strengthen adventure tourism activities while the Beas Bihal Nature Park would provide clean and beautiful natural environment to tourists, besides generating employment for locals, he stated.

Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of developmental projects worth approximately Rs 41 crore and also threw open the state-level Swarnim Van Mahotsav. He inaugurated the Bhekhli-Jindaud-Byasar road, Marhi-Shaleen road, a bridge over Haripur Nullah and artificial rock climbing wall at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports. He also inaugurated the Beas Bihal Nature Park, constructed at a cost of Rs 3 crore, and Swarnim Vatika at Kothi, constructed at a cost of Rs 26 lakh. Thakur laid the foundation stone of Hamta-Chikka Forest Inspection Road, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 30 lakh, a bridge over Khanaura Nallah, to be constructed at Rs 89 lakh, and a motorable bridge over the Beas river at Bahang, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore.

The Chief Minister announced Rs 2.5 crore for construction of a bridge over Kathi Nullah, Rs 1.22 crore for a bridge in Grahan village, upgrade of Government High School, Jindaud, to senior secondary school and Government Middle School, Meha, to government high school. He also honoured Anchal Thakur of Manali for winning a bronze medal in the International Skiing Competition, held in Montenegro, Europe.