A four-day cultural festival showcasing various tourist destinations in Bhaderwah town,a mountainous hill resort in Doda district,started today. We want to show case Bhaderwah and its various tourist destinations to attract foreign and domestic tourists, State Tourism Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora said while inaugurating the festival today. Union Minister Gulam Nabi Azad,who was expected to open the festival,could not arrive due to bad weather. Jora said that government is focussing on the development of Bhaderwah in a big way. The massive tourism development in the area will not only give boost to economy of the area and state but will also help immensely in transforming socio economic condition of the people of the region by creating job opportunities for the unemployed youth,he said. The Bhaderwah Development Authority (BDA) expects large number of tourists during the festival,which is showcasing culture,heritage and tradition of the mountainous hill resort. A colourful cultural bonanza was also presented on the occasion. The folk dances like Dhiku dance,Bhaderwahi folk songs,Padderi,Pogali dance,Kashmiri and Dogri songs,and many other programmes kept the audience spell bound. The minister also inspected the stalls established by various departments of the district,creating awareness about various welfare and beneficial schemes of the government.
