Seeks release of pending grants and statewide public holiday on Maha Ashtami
Almora: Ahead of the upcoming Maa Nanda Devi Mahotsav and the historic Nanda Devi Fair, office-bearers of the Maa Nanda Devi Temple Committee met the District Magistrate and submitted a memorandum highlighting several key demands. The committee urged the district administration to extend full support for the smooth and grand conduct of the annual festival.
The committee stated that the fair attracts thousands of devotees, tourists and local residents every year, making it essential to ensure proper arrangements for security, traffic management, sanitation, drinking water, electricity and other civic amenities.
The delegation also requested the early release of the pending grants sanctioned by the Culture Department and the Tourism Department for the years 2024 and 2025. According to the committee, timely disbursement of funds would help in organizing cultural programmes and festival preparations efficiently.
A major demand placed before the District Magistrate was the declaration of 19 September 2026 (Maha Ashtami) as a public holiday across Uttarakhand. The proposal has been forwarded to the Chief Minister through the District Magistrate. The committee said that Maa Nanda Devi is a symbol of Uttarakhand’s faith, culture and heritage, and a public holiday would enable devotees from across the state to participate in the religious celebrations and the fair.
The District Magistrate assured the delegation of full administrative support for the successful organisation of the festival.
The delegation included Temple Committee President Manoj Verma, Secretary Manoj Sanwal, Chief Coordinator Tara Chandra Joshi, Harish Kanwal, Councillors Amit Sah, Arjun Bisht, Abhishek Joshi, Vandana Verma and other members.
