Gauchar Fair begins

DAINIK NATION BUREAU

The seven day long State level 68th Industrial and Cultural Gauchar Fair started today. It was inaugurated by the Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and also laid the foundation stone of development projects worth Rs. 106 crore. The Chief Minister paid tributes by laying wreaths on the photographs of first Victoria Cross winner Darban Singh Negi and first Prime Minister of the country Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.

In his address, Chief Minister said that fair are the symbols of our cultural identity. With changing times, the nature of traditional fairs have also changed which is praiseworthy. State government has effectively checked corruption during the past one and half year and said that there is need to work at the grass root level to eradicate corruption. State government has fixed a time limit for 362 government services so tha common man gets the benefit of government run welfare schemes. He said that announcement in this regard should be pasted at the public notice boards at block, tehsil and district headquarters. He said that there is provision of punishment if the government servants fail to provide services in the stipulated time to the general people.

Chief Minister said that state government has formed a policy to extract “Keeda Jari” so that people doing it get benefit. In order to boost the economy of the state, there is need to attract tourists from country and abroad to the state so that youth get employment in their homes. The central government by presenting the projects of All weather road and Rishikesh_Karanprayag has opened vast opportunities of development in the state. He expressed hope that in the coming time lakhs of tourists and pilgrims from country and abroad will be visiting the religious places and places of tourist interests thus improving the economy of the state.

Chief Minister said that ‘pine ’ trees will be a boon for the state . More than 143 different beauty products like scent and oil are being produced from pine trees. A plant has been set up at Bageshwar to prepare products from pine trees. He asked the District magistrate to inform the women and youth about various products produced from pine trees and also establish Self-help groups of women in the district..

Chief Minister also announced to prepare a project for Gauchar stadium, constructing a theatre having a capacity of 80 to 100 persons at Gopeshwar, road from GIC,Karanprayag to Paduli-Palthi, making a permanent PWD zone at Gauchar from a temporary zone, setting up of a ground atSainj-Khaitauli, the village of Victoria Cross winner Darban Singh Negi. He also announced awards worth Rs.31,000 each to Mahender, who provided music in a micro film made on the tourism of Chamoli district and painting artist Ravin Dey who made painting within seven minutes.

District Magistrate Swati Bhaduria thanked the Chief Minister for inaugurating the Gauchar fair. She announced that state level Boxing and State level Rifle shooting tournaments are being organised during the Gauchar fair this year. She said that cultural programmes based on folk culture besides national level cultural programmes are also being organized. She said that more than 300 shops are set up for Food festival, Master Sip competition, film festival and trade fair. To encourage adventure sports, Hot ballooning and parachute are also included

Local legislator Surender Singh Negi, newly elected District Panchayat Chief  Anju Bisht also welcomed the Chief Minister on behalf of the people of the area and presented a memorandum of demands to him, listing the problems of the region. The school students and cultural troupes gave cultural presentations on the occasion. Karnprayag MLa Surender Singh Negi, Tharali MLA Munni Devi Shah, public representatives and a large number of people were present on the occasion.