Navratra Festival from 5 to 12 October 2013

Jammu (J&K), October 03, 2013 - Divisional Commissioner Jammu Shantmanu, who is also the chairman of Navratra Festival Organizing Committee, announced that the annual Navratra Festival will be held from 5th to 12th of October, 2013. Addressing a press conference here today, the Div Com said that the festival will be organized jointly by the Department of Tourism, Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board, Katra, District Administration and local hospitality industry. The festival will be inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand at 11 a.m. at Katra on October 05.

He highlighted the main attractions of the festival including cultural procession upto main chowk, Katra, Shoba Yatra (Cultural Procession) of troupes and tableaux showcasing culture and tradition of the State, All India Devotional Song competition at Yog Ashram Ground, cultural programmes, religious discourses (Bhagwat Katha), International Wrestling Competition at Viveka Nand Sports Stadium, Hassaya Vyand Event, Kavi Samelan.

Among others, Additional CEO Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board Katra Mandeep K. Bhandari, Deputy Commissioner Reasi Dr. Shahid Iqbal, Director Tourism Soujanya Sharma, Joint Director Information Jammu Smita Sethi, various other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

District Development Commissioner, Reasi, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary also convened a meeting of senior officers and members of Navrata Festival Celebration Committee at SMVDSB, Katra on Tuesday to discuss arrangements pertaining to ensuing Navratra Festival at Katra. Senior officers of different departments, members of Navrata Festival Celebration Committee were present in the meeting.

Discussing arrangements to be made by Tourism Department and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for the event, the DDC was apprised of the activities to be performed during the festival besides other preparations being made for smooth conduct of Navratra Festival commencing from 5th October this year at Katra, the base camp of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji Shrine.

Stressing on attractive programmes of public interests to be presented during festival days, Dr. Choudhary asked the officers to come up with innovative and impressive events with in the available resources to ensure maximum public participation. He said being a momentous affair of Jammu Division stress should also be given on traditional programmes.

The District Development Commissioner said that the main aim of organizing the festival is to showcase the culture and traditions of Jammu and all the steps have been taken by the administration and the organizers of the festival to make the event a grand success.

Giving details of the events scheduled to be conducted at Katra during Navratra days, the tourism department apprised that the main programmes included Shoba Yatra, All India Devotional Song Contest, Kathua, pravachan, wrestling competition and cultural events adding that programme would be organized both during the day and also in the evenings. She said Katra will be illuminated during the nine days and different government departments like Handicraft, Handloom etc will put up their stalls.

It was decided that best decorated Hotel/ Restaurant during the Navratra Festival at Katra would be awarded by the festival organizing committee. ADDC Bikram Singh Jamwal, ACR Tilak Raj Shastri, SP Reasi Sharief Chouhan, DTO Arshad Choudhary and officers from health, PHE, PDD, PWD, Municipality and KDA were present in the meeting.

Katra town is being beautified and various measures have been put in place for cleanliness, illumination and decoration of streets ahead of Navratras. Deputy Commissioner Reasi Shahid Iqbal today launched a massive sanitation drive in the holy town under a comprehensive sanitation plan. SP Sharief Chouhan and Commandant CRPF Sunil Kumar accompanied the DC.

The DC inspected the venues of Navratra Festival besides ongoing beautification and facelift works at bus stand and stadium. He also visited spots identified for disposal of solid waste and directed for disposal of waste only at these selected places. He asked the PHE Department for round the clock potable drinking water supply in the town for which two more tankers have been deployed.

Earlier, the DC convened a meeting to review the arrangements for Navratra festival, deployment of security and magistrates, illumination of town, construction of roads and drains, arrangements for emergency and fire services, floral decorations, accommodation of guests, sanitary measures etc were discussed.

Various committees presented details of their preparedness for the festival. The main function will be held at 1130 hrs with inauguration of festival and flagging off Shobha Yatra and Cultural procession from Asia Chowk. More than a dozen cultural programmes, educational awareness and recreation programmes, wrestling competition, bhaint and bhajjan are being organised apart from famous All India Devotional Song competition.

The meeting was attended by ADDC Bikram Singh Jamwal, SP Sharief Chouhan, ACR Tilak Raj Shastri, Commandant CRPF Sunil Kumar, CEO KDA Rajinder Singh, Addl SP Katra Rajinder Katoch, DIO Parvinder Kour, PO DRDADr Jagdish Mehra, ExEn PHE Nissar Hussain, ExEn PDD Sanjeev Rathore, Ex-En PWD Joginder Kumar and other officers from Municipality, Revenue, Police and line departments.