Shrawani fair begins at Deoghar

DEOGHAR: State minister for forest and environment Yamuna Singh formally inaugurated the world famous Shrawani fair at Kanwariyapath, Dumma, on Friday.
Singh called upon the people of Deoghar and officials concerned to dedicate themselves to the services of pilgrims who overcome huge odds to reach here. "Administration can provide them basic facilities, but the pain suffered by the Kanwariyas during the long and arduous journey can only be mitigated by locals'' sweet behaviour," said the minister.
Presiding over the function, state tourism development minister Joba Manjhi said that all efforts would be be made by her department to bring Baidyanath Dham on national tourist map."Development of this city means development of Jharkhand as it is the main attraction for the devotees across the country," she added.
Earlier, "Indra Varsha", "Varun Varsha" and a luxurious tourist bus, for visiting tourist spots in and around the city, was inaugurated by the ministers. Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion were local MLA Suresh Paswan, director (tourism) Nidhi Khare and Deoghar DC Arun Kumar Singh.
However, the sudden cancellation of the programme of chief minister Arjun Munda who, was to inaugurate the fair, disappointed party workers as well as the officials who wished to make it a big show. Senior officials of many departments were not present on this occasion. Surprisingly, unlike previous years, the power situation remained grim on the inaugural day of the fair.