Goswami inaugurates the fest. (Anirban Choudhury)

Alipurduar, Jan. 6: The six-day-long Dooars Festival began today with former footballer Chuni Goswami putting stress on more such fairs to strike harmony among different communities in the region.

The festival is organised here every year to promote tourism in the Dooars. The inflow of tourists to the region has recently increased because of unrest in the hills of north Bengal.

Goswami entered Parade Grounds around 4pm to a rousing reception from the young players in town. Girls from different communities in their traditional attires danced as the former footballer and other guests went round the venue.

Inaugurating the fair, Goswami said: “Unity among different communities is strengthened when people come to fairs. So festivals like this is more essential to stop efforts of dividing north Bengal.” He also suggested that the Dooars be developed by utilising its huge natural resources.

The former footballer asked the younger generation to go to the fields everyday for their physical and mental growth.

Ananta Roy and Paresh Adhikary, the Bengal ministers of forests and food and supplies, were present.

Sankar Prasad Choudhury, the vice-president of the organising committee, said 100 stalls, including those from Bangladesh and Delhi, have been put up. “Our aim is to promote tourism in the Dooars and we have organised trips to different places in the region to mark the occasion.”

The Alipurduar Municipality, however, has not put up any stall and not provided civic services like supply of drinking water and cleaning of garbage to the fair to protest against the organising committee’s “neglect”. Chairman Dipto Chatterjee did not attend today’s programme.