Bhubaneswar, January 8, 2026: The three-day Chilika Bird Festival and Boat Racing Competition, held at Mangaljodi and Barkul, Chilika, concluded successfully, marking a new direction for tourism promotion in Odisha through boat racing and photography competitions.
The valedictory ceremony was graced by Mr Prithviraj Harichandan, Hon’ble Minister for Law, Works and Excise department, as the Chief Guest. Addressing the gathering, the Minister said that Chilika Lake is one of the world’s most important tourism destinations and emphasised that initiatives like boat racing are essential for its further promotion.
He stated that approximately ₹200 crore will be spent over the next three years to develop fisheries resources, waterways, transport facilities, fish jetties and tourism infrastructure in the Chilika region. He expressed confidence that such initiatives would play a vital role in attracting lakhs of tourists to Chilika every day in the coming years. The Minister appreciated the Tourism Department for proactively organising the boat race and described it as a commendable initiative.
The boat racing competition held at Chilika Lake witnessed intense competition among different fishermen. Panidwar PFSC, Chilika secured the first position, followed by Maa Domani Devi PFCS 2, which secured second place, while Bindhyagiri PFCS, khordha secured the third position.
As part of the 6th National Chilika Bird Festival, a photography competition was organised, in which 80 photographers submitted 400 photographs. Out of these, 35 photographs were selected for exhibition at Mangalajodi. In the Amateur category, Prabir Kumar Das secured first position.
Amongst the noted dignitaries, Saroj Kumar Swain, Additional Secretary, Tourism Department, Amlan Nayak, DFO, Chilika, and Aditional SP, Khordha were also present on the occasion. Other dignitaries present included P.K. Das, Retired IRS Officer, Jyoshna Behera, Chilika Block Chairperson, Amarendra Ramsingh, Chairperson, Banapur Block, Arun Pattnaik, Vice-Chairperson, along with other senior officers from concerned departments.
