Literary festival to be inaugurated in Satara today

Kolhapur: Preparations for the 99th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, to be held at Satara from Jan 1 to 4, are near complete. Senior authors Dr Tara Bhawalkar and Vishwas Patil will inaugurate the book festival on Thursday in the presence of Public Works Department (PWD) minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale. Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, Pune (Branch-Shahupuri), and Mawla Foundation, Satara, are the organising hosts for the event.Indian writer and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Mridula Garg will inaugurate the Sammelan on Jan 2 in the presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, industries minister Uday Samant, whereas deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde will attend the concluding ceremony on Jan 4. District Collector Santosh Patil informed that all the administrative systems were prepared so that the vehicles of citizens coming for the literary conference could be parked at the planned places without any hindrance."The district administration is all set to welcome all literaturists, and preparations for the 99th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan at Shahu Stadium in Satara will be completed by Wednesday late night. The city was kept clean and beautification works were completed promptly," said Patil.Meanwhile, the police department took special precautions to ensure that there was no traffic jam in the city, and parking arrangements were also planned.This Sahitya Sammelan will bring literature, authors and book lovers across the state together for 4 days. On this occasion, book lovers will also be able to enjoy various programmes. The conference is being held in Satara after 32 years, and minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale will chair the event as the host.