Staff Reporter
YUPIA, 21 Feb: An unprecedented number of people witnessed the ‘musical nite’ programme which was organized as part of the Statehood Day celebration at the newly constructed stadium here in Papum Pare district on 20 February.
Twenty-five to 30 thousand people witnessed the event, exceeding the estimated seating capacity of 15,000.
This year’s Statehood Day celebration marked the culmination of the month-long golden jubilee celebration of Arunachal Pradesh.
While the main draws of the event were Bollywood playback singer Jubeen Nautiyal and singer-songwriter from Arunachal Taba Chake, more than 700 troupes participated in the cultural show.
The celebration also featured the traditional sports of various tribes and sub-tribes of the state.
The crowd, who arrived for the show despite huge traffic jams and being drenched in the rain, cheered for Nautiyal, who was supposed to perform at 8 pm but later had to perform at 12:30 am. The show ended at 2:30 am.
The audience welcomed the state’s own Taba Chake with their flashlights on.
Reportedly, even Chief Minister Pema Khandu’s convoy was stuck in the traffic for more than an hour.
When contacted, Papum Pare SP Neelam Nega informed that the traffic congestion occurred due to limited parking space, and added that a parking lot at the stadium is under construction.
It is learnt that DGP Satish Golcha and IGP (Law & Order) Chukhu Apa were on the road till 3 am, in order to monitor the law and order situation.
