Arunachalee girls in traditional attire perform during the festival. Picture by Pranab Phukon

Nampong (Arunachal Pradesh), Jan. 21: The three-day Pangsau Pass Winter Festival began here today with chief minister Dorjee Khandu making a case for the opening of historic Stilwell Road and visitors taking a ride on it.

The festival was organised by the Pangsau Pass Winter Festival Organising Committee here in Changlang district.

Most of the visitors took a ride today for a feel of driving down the road which was so important for the Allied Forces to stop Japanese invasion during World War II.

Hectic movement of vehicles was noticed from Jairampur and Nampong as visitors scrambled for a lifetime experience. The vehicles were an assorted lot — from vintage jeeps and motorcycles of the World War II to Scorpios and Boleros.

Chief minister Dorjee Khandu was delighted to host thousands of visitors and tourists from across the country and abroad.

“This is why we have kept this year’s festival theme, Transcending Boundaries. We want more and more people to come here so that policy makers are compelled to think about re-opening the road which is so important for the development of our state,” he said.

Khandu has been a strong advocate for re-opening of the road throughout his tenure as the chief minister of the hill state, maintaining that it would boost trade and cultural exchange with Myanmar.

While stressing on development of tourism in the state, Khandu reminded the hospitality sector: “Apart from bigger initiatives like organisation of this festival, there are certain small but very important things which we always need to keep in mind.”

First and foremost, he said, the behaviour of hoteliers and staff, vehicles owners and drivers, guides and the officials who promote tourism should be “polite and generous”. He also called upon the people “to ensure that we do not use harmful plastics and polythene in order to preserve the serene atmosphere of our state.”