Imphal, October 27 2017: The State Government’s plan to open the Manipur Sangai Festival 2017 at Keibul Lamjao has been aborted due to certain problems.
Rather, President Ram Nath Kovind would open the festival at BOAT here.
Chief Minister N Biren today reviewed the ongoing preparations for the annual festival .
N Biren who presided the review meeting held this afternoon in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat told Ministers and high ranking officials who attended the meeting that President Ram Nath Kovind would open the 10-day festival at 2 pm of November 21 at BOAT .
Biren stated that the plan to open the festival at Keibul Lamjao, the only natural habitat of Sangai must be aborted due to security reasons and difficulties about construction of helipad where the President would land .
Even though the opening ceremony is not held at Keibul Lamjao, a curtain raiser event and a half-marathon would be organised there .
The President would leave Imphal soon after the opening ceremony which would last for a few hours .
Preparations being done by different departments were reviewed one by one through slide shows and the Chief Minister was visibly satisfied with the progress made so far .
The festival was known as Manipur Tourism Festival before it was renamed as Manipur Sangai Festival in 2010 .
The State Government has already sanctioned Rs 7 crore for this year’s edition of Manipur Sangai Festival.
With a view to organise the festival successfully, eight sub-committees have already been constituted .
While the opening and closing ceremonies would be held at BOAT, other events and programmes would be held at Hapta Kangjeibung and Permanent Exhibition Centre, Lamboi Khongnangkhong .
Indigenous games would be held at Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, water sports at Takmu and International Polo Tournament at Imphal Polo Ground .
It is being speculated that Ambassadors and High Commissioners of Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Laos, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Maldives, Malaysia, Mauritius and Zimbabwe and their delegates may take part in the festival .
But it is the responsibility of the Chief Minister’s Secretariat which should confirm that countries that would take part in the festival, informed a source.
Source: The Sangai Express
