The Tehri Lake Festival got off to a colourful start here today with cultural performances by artistes from different states, including the host Uttarakhand.
Performances by folk singers and dancers from Punjab, Assam, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttarakhand were the day's highlights.
The festival was jointly inaugurated by Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj, Education Minister Arvind Singh, Tehri MLA Dhan Singh Negi and Pratapnagar MLA Vijay Singh Panwar.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat was originally slated to inaugurate the festival. He could not make it to the event as dense fog prevented his chopper from landing.
Speaking on the occasion, Maharaj said the three-day festival aimed to establish Tehri as an international tourist and adventure sports destination.
Tehri lake can provide employment to thousands as activities like boating, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, paragliding and parasailing will be held daily here for the visitors, he added.
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Pandey said the government's decision to hold a cabinet meeting on a boat in the lake last week was part of its promotional strategy.
Food stalls were also put up at the festival to give visitors a taste of the authentic Garhwali cuisine.