Govt. trims Hornbill’s feathers: Seven days from next year

Festival to be privatised

Dimapur, Oct. 30 (EMN): The Hornbill festival will become a seven-day affair from next year. The ten-day format will be only for the current year, the government has stated.
This year’s edition of the cultural event is about a month away. The chief minister’s office (CMO) issued a press release on Monday informing about a meeting to ‘discuss and improvise activities’ that would feature in the ‘Festival of Festivals.’ The meeting was convened on Oct. 30 by Chief Minister TR Zeliang, the press release stated.
The ten-day Hornbill Festival, from Dec. 1 to the 10th annually, is likely to be cut down to seven days from 2018 but not for this year’s event. A small detail in the press release: the festival might be privatised ‘in the near future.’
‘This year, it will be for ten days,’ the updates informed.
Also, the festival will be a ‘plastic-free’ event ‘where only the use of paper bags and recyclable materials will be permitted,’ the updates stated.

Hornbill rock at Dimapur
Further, the dates for VVIP’s attendance, including the President of India Ram Nath Kovind, are yet to be ‘ascertained,’ the updates stated. The popular rock music events may be shifted to Agri-Expo in Dimapur considering the flagrant traffic problems and security related matters in the state capital during such events.
Apart from cultural dances, wrestling, racing and eating competitions, this year’s International Rock Contest is ‘likely to be the best one held so far’ with around 26 rock bands, including one each from Singapore and Bhutan, the updates added.
The Tourism department, the nodal department which has been overseeing the conduct of the festival so far, has been assigned to start arrangements for the much awaited festival which attracts several international and domestic tourists every year. The press release noted also what it called ‘the number of unfortunate vehicle accidents and unruly incidents’ that occur during this period. The use of alcohol will be restricted as per the State Liquor Prohibition Act although Naga local brew would be exempted, the statement informed.
‘The assistance of youth and public organisations would be sought for volunteering works in controlling illegal activities including the sale of IMFL and other illegal substance,’ the chief minister’s office stated.
On the presence of uniformed armed personnel within the venue during the festival ‘which is considered as an unpleasant sight for visiting tourists,’ the updates stated that the district administration will ensure that armed forces conduct their drills and patrols outside the periphery of the festival venues, it was informed.
Further, while the quality of sound system at the venue would be up-graded, all media personnel possessing proper Identity cards would be allowed free access to the venue unlike in the past, where purchase of access-tickets were mandatory.
The chief minister’s office said to give priority to catering services from local entrepreneurs for income generation. Uninterrupted power supply during the entire period of the festival ‘would be looked into with field staffs of Power department,’ the press release explained.
The government will be inviting all Northeast states to be part of this year’s Hornbill Festival, “intended to be among the best so far, before it is privatised in the near future to save time and resources of the state government.”