Union defence minister Rajnath Singh along with the Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande will arrive in Manipur capital Imphal on Thursday to attend the opening match of first ever Manipur edition of the 131st Durand Cup.

Taking to twitter on Wednesday, Rajnath Singh wrote, “Tomorrow, 18th August, I shall be visiting Bagdogra and Imphal. I shall be paying my respects to the Armed Forces personnel who lost their lives due to a landslide in June. Also, I shall be attending the opening ceremony of Durand Cup-2022 in Imphal. Looking forward to it.”

The 10 historic league matches of the Durand Cup will be held at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium in Imphal from August 18 to September 5.

Strict security arrangement has been made for the arrival of the defence minister and army chief in Imphal. New traffic regulation notification has also been issued in and around the stadium.

The formal opening ceremony of the football tournament is expected to start from around 5 pm with a live performance by popular singer Papon and local favourite Guru Rewben Mashangva, a folk musician from Manipur.

Meanwhile, the state government has also declared a half-holiday for all government offices and educational institutions to enable the government employees and others to watch the first match.