Visakhapatnam :

Preparations are on in full swing for the three-day Araku Utsav slated to be held between November 28 and 30, 2013, but the departments concerned are apprehensive of inclement weather playing spoilsport. Last year, the fest had to be canceled due to the strike by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) staff in October.

Araku Utsav, an annual affair, is organised by the department of tourism, Vizag, in collaboration with APTDC. Bhimashankar Rao, GM, APTDC, said, “Tourist inflow is slowly bouncing back to normalcy and we expect a good turnout at the festival provided the weather remains good. Unlike last year, when the festival was marred by staff strike, this time there’s no such problem. Hopefully, it won’t rain.”

Stating that the tourism department expects a tourist inflow of 3,000 to 4,000 at the festival this time, district tourism officer (DTO) S D Anita said the fest will be held at the Araku Tribal Museum premises. “A variety of tribal dances will be showcased, including those of the Banjaras from Nalgonda, Kummakoya from Khammam, Garagalu from East Godavari and Sambalpudi from Odisha. There will also be a photo exhibition depicting the tribal ways of life. Special counters to showcase the innovative methods they use to store seeds and their ways of organic farming are being put up ,” she explained.

While APTDC has already sanctioned Rs 10 lakh for the festival, the department is seeking another Rs 2 lakh, she said, expressing hope that the rains don’t spoil the mood of the entire fest.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam> Aptdc / TNN / November 24th, 2013