Koraput, Dec, 19: In just five days, the national-level festival will begin. The district administration has reached the final stage of preparations. This time, the festival area has been expanded. The festival grounds cover approximately 2 lakh square feet.
Arrangements have been made to accommodate over 1 lakh visitors, including all necessary facilities. More than 50 toilets have been set up. Last year, 356 stalls were prepared, whereas this year 534 stalls have been constructed. The Deputy Commissioner of the festival, Uma Mahesh, provided this information.
According to Mr. Mahesh, applications for the stalls have been received and completed promptly. Traders are still arriving for the stalls. Traders who previously attended the Malkangiri Malyabant Festival have also come to Koraput for this festival. Due to concerns about festival delays last year, over 100 traders from various cities are participating in this year’s Koraput festival. All stalls have now been finalized.
Food stalls have been placed along the stage side. To ensure visitors eat without inconvenience, tables and dustbins have been arranged. Necessary spacing has been maintained between the stalls. Out of the 534 stalls, 79 are food stalls.
From outside the state, 60 stalls have been booked: Assam (SHG), Jammu & Kashmir (10), Ladakh (2), Manipur (2), Uttar Pradesh (4), Delhi (2), Rajasthan (2), Gujarat (2), Maharashtra (2), Telangana (2), and Karnataka (2).
Visitors can expect North Indian handicrafts, traditional attire, handlooms from Ladakh and Manipur, Kashmiri shawls, dry fruits, jewelry from Rajasthan and Gujarat, Maharashtra handicrafts, and various traditional items from South India at the festival.