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Rain washes away hopes of agro- entrepreneurs in Ludhiana
Agro–industrialists who had to bear the brunt of the rain for two days will be allowed to put up their stalls on Sunday too at PAU
Low footfall at Kisan, Pashu Palan melas
Amid incessant rainfall, the two-day Kisan Mela and Pashu Palan Mela officially concluded on Saturday at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU).
However, PAU said that agro–industrialists who had to bear the brunt of the rain for two days will be allowed to put up their stalls on Sunday too. Along with the stalls, farmers and visitors will also be able to buy seeds, literature etc. Several departments of PAU will also put up their stalls to impart expert guidance to farmers coming on the third day of the fair.
Several vet industry entrepreneurs, who had put up stalls at GADVASU with a hope to gain business mileage, were unhappy with the arrangements. They even rued that the vet university has not given them any sort of relaxation or extension in a bid to compensate for their losses.
Alleging lack of basic facilities like washroom and power supply from the university’s end, stall owners condemned the authorities for not even offering sympathy for the losses they incurred due to the rain.
Kuldeep Singh, 62, who has been putting up a homeopathy stall at the vet university since 2003, said, “The university has been increasing the rent of stalls with each passing year, but in return no facilities have been given to us. In the name of washroom, a see-through tent has been put up, and there is no electricity connection. Overall, this has been a pathetic experience for us and despite of all the shortcomings, nobody from the authority came to offer any sympathy.”
The incessant rains during both days of the event affected the footfall considerably. Even after the sun came out, there were hardly any visitors at these stalls.
“Last year we did business worth ₹3 lakh despite the second day receiving heavy rainfall. However, this year we are struggling to cross the ₹10,000-mark. It would have been better if the university would have postponed the fair at the last minute,” said Dalbir Singh, who had put up his stall at the fair.
Besides the rain, radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh’s
chase is also said to have impacted the footfall. Several people said that farmers from the neighbouring states did not visit the mela because of the current situation in the state.
Sukhwinder Singh, who had come from Shahkot to attend the mela with his family, said, “It is not even 40% of the crowd we have been witnessing for the last 30 years. Besides the rain, the Amritpal incident could have discouraged farmers from attending the fair.”
Meanwhile, GADVASU V-C Inderjeet Singh commenting on the problems faced by entrepreneurs said, “Each mela is a new lesson. Taking a cue from the September rain, this year we waterproofed the entire stage, lecture hall, and several prominent stalls. The major reason behind reduced footfall is unprecedented rain and because of the same we had to disconnect power supply to prevent any untoward incident. However, we strive for the best and will continue to do so for the upcoming melas.”
