Five days long Shimla Summer Festival started at historic Ridge Maidan on Sunday evening. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh inaugurated Festival. Speaking on the occasion he said that Shimla Summer Festival was being organized for more than last four decades and was providing adequate platform to the artists of the State to exhibit their talent besides wooing tourists in numbers.

Dinesh Malhotra, Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chairman, Summer Festival Organizing Committee welcomed the Chief Minister and honoured him with himachali cap and shawl.

The Chief Minister also released a souvenir on the occasion and distributed prizes to the winners of Shimla Art Festival, which was organized for the first time during Summer Festival this year.

MLAs Mohan Lal Brakta and Anirudh Singh, former M.P Pratibha Singh, Chairman Waqf Board Khawja Khaleel Ullah, Chairman APMC Shimla and Kinnaur Mahender Satan, S.P. Shimla Abhishek Dular, senior officers of the State Government and prominent people of the town were present on the occasion.