Seven-day historical Mata Mavli Mela would be organised in the district headquarters from February 19.

It was decided at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Collector Yashwant Kumar that all necessary arrangements for the Mata Mavli Mela, which has been organised continuously for the last 800 years in the Bastar region, should be made in advance with the coordination of Nagar Panchayat, district administration and other Government departments concerned.

District Panchayat vice-president Massiyaram Nureti, Nagar Panchayat president Harisingh Dehari, Janpad Panchayat president Rajbatti Dugga, peoples’ representatives, media representatives, SP Amit Kamble, DFO Dilraj Prabhakar, district panchayat CEO Kartikeya Goyal, district administration officers and eminent citizens were present in the meeting.

It was decided to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of DFO Dilraj Prabhakar for the organisation of Mata Mavli Mela, in which district panchayat president, peoples’ representatives and eminent citizens would be included. The committee would decide on all necessary arrangements for the Mela.

The meeting also decided to take partial mela fee from traders, who will be allotted shops for textiles, utensils, vegetables and separate corridors for swing and other traders in the Mela. Separate place would be allotted for cattle and meat market. During the Mela, colourful cultural programmes would be organised in the evening every day, for which State-level and local artists would be invited. Different departments would put up attractive exhibitions based on the public welfare schemes and programmes.

Agriculture, veterinary, horticulture, fisheries, panchayat and rural development, tribal development, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, woman and child development, forest, Bamboo Shilp departments will put up attractive stall in the Mela. The public relations department would organise photo exhibition on development activities of the district and public welfare schemes and programmes.