Delhi’s Pragati Maidan to host trade fair after a year’s gap
After missing the annual event last year due to Covid, the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) will be organising 40th India International Trade Fair over an area of 70,000 sqm.
The revamped exhibition halls at the Pragati Maidan are being prepared to host this year’s India International Trade Fair.
After missing the annual event last year due to Covid, the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) will be organising 40th India International Trade Fair over an area of 70,000 sq m which is almost three times the size of the event held in 2019 (23,000 sqm), officials of the ITPO -- the organisers of the fair -- said.
Workers on Wednesday were seen busy testing escalators, finishing up plumbing and setting up frame booths for exhibitors to show-case their products at the giant hangar-like new exhibition halls at Pragati Maidan.
The new halls which are part of international exhibition-cum-convention centre project at Pragati Maidan were inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi last month, and they will provide more than 70% space of this year’s annual trade fair event, ITPO official said.
LC Goyal, the managing director of ITPO said more than 3,000 exhibitors, state governments and central ministries will be participating in the fair. The foreign participation, however, will be low this year with just nine countries taking part in the fair. The overseas participants are from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, UAE, Tunisia and Turkey, compared to 20 in the previous years.
Goyal said they were aware of the Covid situation and taking required steps. He said the ticket sales will be regulated keep the maximum number of visitors at any given time inside the venue between 35,000 to 40,000. Tickets will be available for sale online as well as at 65 metro stations. No counters will be there at Pragati Maidan. “The ticket rates have also been hiked by 20% as a crowd management measure, and not with an aim to generate more revenue,” Goyal said. The ticket prices remain same for children while the entry will be free for senior citizens. In 2019, tickets for general visitors were available at ₹60 for adults and ₹40 for children on weekdays. On weekends or holiday, the rates increased to ₹120 for adults and ₹60 for children.
The spacious new complex halls will also play a key role in ensuring social distancing. Goyal said that the minimum stall sizes have been increased from 9 sq m to 12 sq m while the passage pathway width has been raised from 4 m to 5 m.
“Moreover, there will be 320 civil defence volunteers to ensure the compliance of Covid appropriate behaviour at the venue,” he added.
The 14-day event will be held between 14-27 November with first 5 days reserved for businessmen-to-businessmen sale and the last entry will be permitted at 5:30 pm. For the normal visitors, the entry time will be between 9am and 5.30pm.
The main underground tunnel connecting Mathura road and Ring Road- which is a key component of Pragati Maidan revamp project-is still not complete and it will not be used in this year’s annual trade fair. Goyal said that the underground parking and tunnel will be ready much before the next year’s IITF.
“The exhibitors will be using parking near Bhairon Marg and enough parking provision has been made for visitors but from the next year we will be able to use underground parking under the Pragati Maidan,” he added.