NELLORE: The annual flamingo bird festival, a three-day State-sponsored event, took off to a colourful start in the Sullurupeta lake town in Nellore district on Tuesday.
Inauguration of stalls by the Sriharikota Range (SHAR), forest, animal husbandry and other departments marked the first day of the festival.
The district officials also organised a number of dance, musical night and other cultural programmes, offering a rich treat to visitors and tourists.
People from the surrounding villages and towns and fishermen habitations made a beeline for the main festival venue in Sullurupeta town.
The stall of the Forest Department offered a visual treat with replicas of the flamingos, pelicans and other winter migratory birds put up an impressive display.
Students from different schools in the area arrived by special buses to visit the winter birds at the Nelapattu and the Pulicat lake bird sanctuaries.
Special buses
The officials made arrangements for the special festival bus services for the visitors who would like to see different festival spots, including the Sullurupeta - SHAR Road where flamingos could be seen in the Pulicat lake searching for food.
District In-charge Minister and Minister for Transport Sidda Raghava Rao inaugurated the festival and also the free bus services. MLA Kiliveti Sanjeevaiah, MLCs Beeda Ravichandra, Vakati Narayana Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Chairman V. Jayarami Reddy, Joint Collector A. Md. Intiyaz and others were present.
Minister Raghava Rao said the government accorded top priority to the tourism development in the newly created Andhra Pradesh State.
Considerable funds and support were given right from the beginning to tourism events regardless of the fact that the new State was languishing for funds after bifurcation, Mr. Raghava Rao added.
