After a two-year hiatus, Surajkund mela to be organised from March 19 to April 4

After a gap of two years, the annual Surajkund International Crafts Mela is all set to return

After a gap of two years, the annual Surajkund International Crafts Mela is all set to return. Haryana tourism department officials on Monday said that the fair will be held this year from March 19 to April 4.

The 35th edition of the annual crafts fair this year will have 1,100 stalls and around 35 countries will be participating. (Parveen Kumar/HT ARCHIVE)

At least 30 countries have confirmed their participation in the fair till now. The Haryana government had earlier decided to organise the fair in the month of February, but it got further delayed due to the third wave of the pandemic. The 35th edition of the annual fair this year will see around 1,100 stalls and 35 countries are expected to participate, said officials.

The annual fair in Faridabad was last held in 2020, before the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The international crafts mela will begin on March 19 and we will follow all safety protocols in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. All preparations for the fair have been completed. The state partner for this year’s fair will be the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the country partner is Uzbekistan. Till now, artists from 17 countries have sent their consent to participate in the cultural programmes at the fair,” said MD Sinha, the principal secretary of the Haryana tourism department.

The fair will have bar-coded passes for entry and tickets can be booked from Paytm. The cost of tickets for weekdays has been kept at ₹120 and ₹180 for weekends. Children from government schools will be given free entry to the fair and 50 percent relaxation in ticket prices will be given to the differently-abled. The gates will open at noon and will close at 9pm, said officials.

Two dispensaries from the health department would also be set up at the fair site and eight ambulances will be kept on standby, said officials.

A Covid-19 vaccination camp will also be organised at the fair site and there will be arrangements for temperature check and sanitisation at the entrance.

The fair will have five entry gates, out of which three will be meant for the general public, one for VIP movement and one gate for media personnel. A total of 2,500 police personnel will be deployed at the 17-day fair.

Additional deputy commissioner Satbir Singh Mann has been appointed as the nodal officer by the district administration, while on the behalf of the police, DCP (headquarters) Nitish Aggarwal will be the nodal officer.

The entire fair complex will be under CCTV surveillance along with drone mapping by dividing the premises into 18 sectors.

The state tourism department is also working on an application to track the number of tourists who will be visiting the fair, the number of vehicles and the total number of tickets that will be sold on a regular basis.