IMPHAL, April 7: The Jewel Queen 2016, a beauty pageant and fashion parade of the entire northeast region is being conducted without jury members, and the winners will be selected through video footage claimed designer N Shilesh.
Talking to media persons at the Manipur Press Club, designer N Shilesh said that the Jewel Queen contest was held as part of the ongoing 1st Manipur Industrial Expo 2016, hosted by the Department of Commerce and Industries in collaboration with DoNER ICC & ICSI.
The contest has started from April 4 and will continue till April 10.
The contestants and designers were disappointed over absent of jury members and shifting of venues in different places without any prior information to them, he said.
He claimed, the first day contesting was held at Classic Grande on April 4 while the secondary day (April 5) was held at Lamboi Khongnangkhong, again on April 6, the organise informed to organise at Hotel Grande but immediate the venue was change to Lamboi Khongnangkhong saying that a minister will attend the programme.
Shilesh claimed when the Director of the Commerce and Industries department was asked about the issue of the absence of jury members, he replied that the winners will be selected by jury members through video footage.
The designer further stated that the organisers have given verbal assurance that the ten selected designers will be promoted to other metropolitan cities like Milan, Mumbai etc. The designers have come with their own expenditure without any financial support from the Government, he said.
Shilesh appealed the concern authority to immediate look into the matter and demanded to refund the expenditures of the contestants and designers.