President Kovind to launch Hornbill festival

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Nov. 14 (EMN): The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind will attend the inaugural function of the Hornbill festival on December 1 as chief guest. This was announced by Chief Minister TR Zeliang as well as Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar during a coordination meeting on November 14 at Bamboo Hall, Kisama heritage village.
As informed, the president will arrive at Kohima on November 30, and depart for New Delhi in the afternoon of December 1 afternoon.
The chief minister further informed that Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will also arrive on December 2 to take part in the festival. It is likely that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will also be making his presence during the ten-day festival, however, the participation of the home minister is yet to be confirmed, it was informed.
The chief minister Tuesday held a coordination meeting with the departments that will be involved during the festival. After the meeting, the CM along with the officials and stakeholders inspected the premises of Kisama heritage village.
Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding the shifting of the Hornbill International Music Festival (HIMF) to Dimapur was also been cleared today. Now, it is almost certain that the HIMF will be held in Dimapur from December 1 to 10th. During the meeting, director of Music Task Force, Gugs Chishi sought government’s permission to allow the HIMF to be held at Agri Expo, 4th Mile, Dimapur; however, the clearance from the government to this proposal is awaited.
Deliberating on the controversy surrounding the shifting of HIMF to Dimapur, the CM and other government officers also told the MTF to make it clear to the public, on the idea of shifting the HIMF. To this, the MTF director clarified that the shifting of HIMF to Dimapur was not for security reasons, but solely with the intention to reach out to all the districts with the music festival.
During the meeting, the CM also urged all the departments and stakeholders to render their best for smooth functioning of the Hornbill festival and prepare on a war footing to ensure convenience of visitors.
On road sector, the CM directed the NHIDCL and BRO to immediately repair the worst portions of the National Highway 29 leading to Kohima and till Kisama heritage village, while he also directed the PWD to repair the roads in Kohima town and adjacent areas.
With some of the country’s top dignitaries visiting the capital, the CM also directed the paramilitary forces and the state’s police department to provide effective security during the festival.
The CM also directed the Power department for uninterrupted power supply at Kisama and Kohima town during the night carnival, while the government also requested all concerned to remove materials/debris placed on the roadside. Further, the CM also directed the Kohima Municipal Council to remove all the damaged vehicles parked on the roadside in Kohima town.
All the villages between Dimapur and Kisama and adjacent areas have also been requested to initiate sanitation drives prior the festival.