Shikara festival adds colour to Dal Lake

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 20

A two-day shikara festival started at the Dal Lake here today in an effort to attract tourists to the Kashmir valley. After inaugurating the festival, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Lone said: “Shikara is the identity of Kashmir and tourists feel incomplete journey to valley without Shikara riding. Various initiatives have been undertaken by the government to boost the tourism and increase the tourist flow besides improve state’s economy and create employment avenues for locals.”

An official of the Tourism Department, which is organising the festival, said various events including Shikara Race, Dragon Boat Race and Canoe Polo Match besides cultural programmes depicting traditional heritage and culture of Kashmir will be presented. Director Tourism Mahmood Shah said the department had put in all out efforts to promote J&K as an all time tourist destination. He said the Tourism Department had held a number of awareness-cum-attraction programmes across the country to showcase the state as a unique tourism product to lure the maximum visitors.