Srinagar, August 12: Chief Secretary, Atal Dullu, presided over a high-level meeting with senior officers of Civil Administration and Police today, so that he can review preparations for the girls’ version of Khelo India Water Sports Festival (Kiwsf) 2025 to be held on the prestigious Dal Lake from 21 to 23 August.
Calling the event a unique opportunity to project the versatile attraction of Kashmir on a national platform, the Chief Secretary emphasized that the festival should be converted into a grand celebration of local tourism, handicrafts, art and culture. He directed the Department of Handicrafts and Handloom to organize top-class exhibitions, which highlights the rich craftsmanship of the region for visitors during the incident.
The Chief Secretary said that the festival time that matchs the Shikhar tourist season in Srinagar provides an ideal opportunity to create permanent impressions when going to athletes, officers and audiences. He asked the Youth Services and Sports Department to ensure innocent conduct so that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports consider Srinagar to be a regular place for the festival in the coming years.
While reviewing the arrangement in detail, the Chief Secretary reviewed athletes, safety measures and site readiness, sports infrastructure, boarding and lodging facilities for branding and promotion.
He directed all the concerned departments such as tourism, PDD, water power, traffic, hospitality and protocols, civil aviation, airport authority, LCMA, handicrafts and handloom, SDRF, health and fire and emergency services to give their responsibilities with the highest standards of efficiency.
Commissioner Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, Sarmad Hafze, while giving information about the festival, said that the purpose of the department is to place Srinagar as “Sports Capital of India” and make it a regular annual relationship.
Drawing from the experience of the Department of successfully hosting five versions of Khelo India Winter Games, he assured that a strong arrangement would be made to welcome about 800 athletes and officers of 28 states/UTS, which will compete in five water sports subjects in three days of the festival.
He further stated that competitive incidents would be held in Kayaking, Canoeing and Rowing, while dragon boats, water skiing and a unique shikara race will be included as a game of performance. He said that the festival is characterized by a Shikara in the festival mascot, Kashmiri Kingfisher and its logo, which symbolizes a mixture of nature, adventure work and Kashmiri heritage against the mountain background.
Secretary, Sports Council, Nujat Gul, stated that the coordination committees have been formed for various functional areas, with a dedicated state connectivity officer (SLO) each team has been assigned to each team for their information and smooth facility.
He also gave details about a detailed opening ceremony, which is complementary to show local road cuisine, art, culture and SHG products by a drone light show, live traditional folk dance, celebrity performance and food and craft stalls.
The festival is ready to be a historic program, which celebrates the nature, adventure and cultural spirit of Kashmir in solidarity due to being organized by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and India in collaboration with the Sports Authority of the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and India.