Nod to revival of Dharamsala summer fest

Tribune News Service

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, April 6

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has directed the authorities to revive the Summer Festival. After the direction by the CM, the district administration was planning to hold the festival in the month of May.

The demand had been raised for the revival of summer festival in Dharamsala. The hoteliers and other people associated with the tourism industry had met the local MLA Vishal Nehria and Deputy Commissioner Kangra to revive the festival.

The state government used to organize summer festival in Shimla, Dharamsala and Manali in summer month of May to attract tourists, where famous artistes from Bollywood performed. The festival provided an opportunity to local artistes also to perform. In Dharamsala the festival was organized at police grounds. While the tradition of organizing summer festival was continuing in Shimla and Manali, it was abandoned in Dharamsala for about a decade.

President of hotel and restaurant association of Dharamsala Ashwani Bamba said that tourist footfall in the region dipped badly after Corona pandemic. “We have requested the district administration to organize some events in the region to attract the tourists”, he said.

“We met the Deputy Commissioner Kangra and requested him to revive the summer festival. The hotel and restaurant association has also offered to contribute towards organizing the summer festival”, he said.

Deputy Commissioner, Nipun Jindal, when contacted, said that after locals associated with tourism industry met with the Chief Minister during his recent visit to the area, he has asked the tourism department to revive the festival in Dharamsala. “Since the Chief Minister has directed us we are planning to organize the event in the month of May,” he said.

BJP MLA from Dharamsala Vishal Nehria said that he had requested the CM to revive the summer festival of Dharamsala and he has directed the tourism department and local administration to organize it.

Declining tourist footfall in Dharamsala has been worrying the tourism industry that has been reeling under losses for the past two years. The tourism industry wants government to organize such events here to attract tourists.

Hoteliers had met MLA

The hoteliers and other people associated with the tourism industry had met the local MLA Vishal Nehria and Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, to seek the revival of the festival.

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