KULLU, Sept 29: The annual week-long Kullu Dussehra festival will commence on October 1. State Governor V S Rama Devi will preside over the inaugural ceremony and Union Home Minister L K Adavni will preside over the closing function, also known as ``Bida Dasami'', on October 7.R D Dhiman, Kullu DC-cum-vice-chairman of the Kullu Dussehra Festival Committee, while speaking to mediapersons today, said that cultural troupes from as many as 15 states of the country would performance during the festival. These include folk dancers and singers from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, UP, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Sikkim and Rajasthan.Singers Jaspinder Narula, Penaz Masani, Gurdas Mann, Vipin Sachdeva and Runa Laila, and Sonu Walia and Ravi Kanta Kashyap will present programmes. The DC said that that nearly 150 deities from different parts of the valley, including Upper Kullu, Lug Valley, Maharaja Kothi, Kharahal, Manikaran, Rupi area and Banjar valley, would be present.The Dussehra committee would provide tents to 50 deities to facilitate comfortable accommodation to the devotees.The Deputy Commissioner pointed out that keep in view the activities of Kashmiri militants in the state, arrangements had been made to tackle any kind of law and order problem during Dussehra.The Dussehra ground has been divided into five sectors with an executive magistrate and a police officer to be deployed in each sector. In order to reduce congestion at the local Kala Kendra, the cultural programmes of the Dussehra would be simultaneously televised through cable network. Two big screens would be put up at the local exhibition grounds and the Taxi Stand for the display of cultural programmes, Dhiman said.Teams from Doordarshan and Zee TV were likely to visit Kullu for direct coverage. Arrangement of police force, first, second and third battalions, including the local police, had also been made, he said.The DC said that arrangements for parking had also been made. Metal detectors were being fitted at five gates of the local Kala Kendra.To check the lose sale of edible oil, an inspector had been deputed to check the oils being used by the shopkeepers and dhaba-wallahas. One hundred quintal edible oil also would be available for sale at the sale depot of the civil supply corporation through public distribution system during Dussehra, Dhiman added.Checking of vehicles at Bajaura check post and at Palchan on the Leh-Manali road would continue during the festival as a preventive measure, Dhiman revealed.
