Srinagar, Aug 29 (KNO): Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg on Saturday chaired a high-level review meeting at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) to review preparations for the upcoming 1st International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJ&K).
During the meeting, the Divisional Commissioner directed all concerned departments to ensure befitting, comprehensive and meticulous arrangements for the successful conduct of the festival and to execute their assigned responsibilities with utmost efficiency.
He instructed designated Nodal Officers to remain stationed at their respective venues and maintain close coordination with all stakeholders. He observed that the presence of officers on-site would facilitate prompt resolution of issues and help streamline arrangements.
Emphasising that there should be no gaps in preparations, the Divisional Commissioner stressed the importance of comprehensive venue management, proper sequencing of events and detailed crowd-management plans at SKICC and INOX.
He also reviewed arrangements for night screenings, floating cinema, the gala dinner and other proposed activities and issued necessary directions for their smooth and successful conduct.
The Tourism Department was directed to finalise brochures and audio-visual content showcasing the tourism potential of Jammu & Kashmir for promotion during the festival. The Handicrafts & Handloom Department was asked to prepare and share brochures containing relevant information for guests and participants regarding stalls, craft and artisans.
The Higher Education Department was directed to establish dedicated registration desks for students participating in the festival, while the RTO Kashmir was asked to sensitise hired drivers regarding the festival schedule, sightseeing packages for guests, tour packages and timely participation in scheduled programmes.
The meeting was informed that films from 40 countries will be screened during the festival, underlining its international character and significance.
The Divisional Commissioner directed all departments to extend full support to the event management team and emphasised the need for effective micro-traffic management and robust security arrangements while ensuring minimum inconvenience to guests, participants, filmmakers and the general public.
He further directed the concerned agencies to ensure comprehensive arrangements at the airport and establish attractive selfie points at the SKICC back lawns and INOX premises.
For effective inter-departmental coordination, the Director Information was directed to ensure close coordination among all concerned departments. The Joint Director Information Kashmir was asked to remain stationed at SKICC as the single-point Nodal Officer for coordination and communication.
The Divisional Commissioner also stressed the need for conducting a comprehensive dry run ahead of the festival to identify and address any gaps in arrangements. He called for a seamless and horizontal flow of communication among all stakeholders for the smooth execution of the festival.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Director Information, Heads of Departments and designated Nodal Officers.
Later, Div Com Kashmir along with DC Srinagar, VC LCMA, Director Info and others conducted inspection of Dal Lake in a motor boat to assess the cleaning of the lake for aesthetic presentation and attraction of film makers—(KNO)