India's first lighthouse festival opens in Goa
spotlight on 75 historical sites to be developed as major tourist destinations
Panjim (Goa) (PTI): Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday inaugurated the maiden edition of Indian Lighthouse Festival at the historic Fort Aguada here and said that the festival aims to transform historic lighthouses into tourist hotspots with public private partnership (PPP).
Sonowal further said India should aim to take a leadership role in global maritime trade.
"We are modernising 75 lighthouses..., the festival is aimed at rejuvenating the rich maritime history of India's 75 iconic lighthouses and unravel the illustrious stories to the world," the Ports, Shipping and Waterways minister said.
The inaugural session was also attended by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Tourism Shripad Naik and Goa tourism minister Rohan Khaunte, among others.
The minister said the government's vision is to promote lighthouses as tourism destinations, to breathe new life into these historic structures, and to create opportunities for local communities and businesses.
According to an official statement, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) is aiming to leverage the Indian Lighthouse Festival to shore up the base for the Public Private Partnership route to develop the historic into world-class tourist destinations.
Sonowal earlier launched a campaign 'Lighthouse Heritage Tourism' to transform 75 historic lighthouses into tourism spots.
Also, speaking at the event, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said lighthouses are beacons of hope and symbols of strength. "Our coastal state Goa has played a vital role in India's maritime history," he said.
According to the statement, historic lighthouses are being renovated with adequate facilities. India has as many as 203 lighthouses dotting its vast coastline of 7,517 km.
The three-day festival beginning September 23 will be celebrated across all the lighthouses in the country as part of an effort to transform these historic spots as tourist destination.
The key highlights of India's First Lighthouse Festival are cultural exhibitions, sessions highlighting maritime history and culture, classical performances, light and sound shows, melodious evenings with celebrity singers, flavours of the coast and community engagements.
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Bridge portion collapses on Jammu outskirts; 3-4 labourers feared trapped, 1 rescued
Jammu (PTI): A portion of a small bridge collapsed in the Bantalab area on the outskirts of Jammu city on Friday, trapping at least three to four labourers under the debris, while one injured worker was rescued, official sources said.
Authorities have closed the road link following the collapse of the portion of the bridge.
The incident occurred when labourers were carrying out repair work on a retaining wall near the bridge that was damaged in last year's flash floods, the sources said.
According to the sources, a section of the bridge suddenly gave way, burying workers engaged at the site under the rubble.
Police, Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams launched rescue operations to extricate those buried under the debris. They pulled out one injured labourer and shifted him to a hospital, the sources said.
Family members of the labourers present at the site said around six workers engaged at the site at the time of the incident came under the debris when the structure collapsed. The family members said while two of the labourers managed to escape, four got trapped.
The sources said those trapped included the husband of a woman labourer, a mason, an unmarried labourer and a relative of the contractor.
There was no official confirmation on the exact number of persons trapped under the debris till the filing of this report.
The rescue operations are ongoing.
