With thousands of festivalgoers about to descend on Ziro Valley, the administration isn’t leaving anything to chance — not even the roadside dhabas.
The Keyi Panyor district administration swung into action on September 18, launching a joint awareness-cum-inspection drive along NH-13, covering the stretch from Potin to Yachuli. The move is part of a wider push to get the highway corridor ready before the Ziro Festival of Music 2026 kicks off on September 24.
Every year, the Ziro Festival draws a massive crowd — music lovers, backpackers, VIPs and curious travellers — all funnelling through the same roads, the same small towns, the same handful of hotels and eateries that dot the highway. This time, the administration clearly decided it wants those stops to be clean, safe and ready.
The inspection team wasn’t small. It included Superintendent of Tax, Excise & Narcotics Takhe Riniyo Nani, Trade Development Officer Tai Arun, Medical Officer Dr Taku Renu, Dealing Assistant for Trade & Commerce Toko Fhaze, and several other officials. They fanned out across hotels, restaurants and cafeterias along the corridor, poking into kitchens and washrooms, checking whether Food Safety and Trade Licences were in order — the kind of scrutiny these establishments don’t always see outside festival season.
Owners and staff got a thorough talking-to about hygiene standards, fire safety and, simply, being decent hosts. One thing that officials pressed hard on — expired food. Stocking or selling outdated products was flagged as a serious health risk, and businesses were told in no uncertain terms to serve only safe, quality food. It sounds obvious. But during a high-footfall event where a bad plate of food can ruin someone’s festival — and someone else’s reputation — these reminders matter.
The towns of Potin, Yazali, Yachuli and Joram are the gateway towns before Ziro Valley, and the administration knows they’re the first impression many visitors get of Arunachal Pradesh. A dirty roadside stop or a sketchy meal can colour the whole experience. So beyond the inspections, a mass social service has been lined up for September 21 — a community cleanup across the markets of all four towns before the festival crowd starts rolling in.
There’s something telling about this kind of ground-level prep. It isn’t glamorous. Nobody is going to headline a press release about a clean kitchen inspection in Yachuli. But it’s precisely this unglamorous work — checking licence papers, scrubbing corridors, sensitising hotel staff — that separates a well-run event from a chaotic one. The Ziro Festival has built a name for itself over the years as one of the most beloved music experiences in Northeast India. Keeping that reputation means getting the basics right.
The district administration has called on business owners, local communities and the public to fall in line with the cleanliness drives and cooperative spirit going into the festival week.
The music runs from September 24 to 27. The preparation, as it turns out, started well before the first note.
