Bhubaneswar, July 23: Raahgiri celebration that started on January 17 this year has been kept at a halt for two months by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), due to the monsoons. The event that completed 27 weeks on June 17 is set to resume from October 2 as some events cannot be arranged in the rain, informed Puspendra Singhdeo, Minister of housing and urban development on Friday.
On June 17, the last Raahgiri celebration laid emphasis on the origin of Rasgulla that has created the ongoing controversy between the Indian states of Odisha and West Bengal about the origins of the popular sweet dish of the same name.
Many events like, painting, health camps and yoga sessions were affected due to rain, Ananta Narayan Jena, Mayor of BMC said. Based on the objective to promote non-motorized transport, the event would be continued till the achievement of the said objective, he further added.
In its journey of 27 weeks, Raahgiri promoted bicycle ride, running, music, yoga, and drawing and also held health check-ups. The BMC authorities were forced to cut down the duration of the event by half an hour in the month of April due to the acute heat.
