36th Surajkund International Crafts Mela: Now, book spot at fest parking

The new parking facility will make use of a FASTag-enabled technology for easy payments and visitors will be able to use the Park+ app to discover, book and prepay for a spot at government-approved parking areas near the festival

Visitors will now be able to find a parking spot online, book and pay for it in advance at the annual 36th Surajkund International Crafts Mela which will begin on Friday in Faridabad.

Vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar will inaugurate the fair on Friday evening. The fair will open daily at 10.30am and close at 8pm. It will come to a close on February 19. (PTI)

This is the first such smart parking facility introduced by the Haryana Tourism and the Surajkund Mela Authority to attract more visitors and to provide a hassle-free experience at the annual cultural festival.

Vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar will inaugurate the fair on Friday evening, said officials.

The new parking facility will make use of a FASTag-enabled technology for easy payments and visitors will be able to use the Park+ app to discover, book and prepay for a spot at government-approved parking areas near the festival.

The fair will open daily at 10.30am and close at 8pm. It will come to a close on February 19.

To use the app-based parking services, visitors are required to download the Park+ app (available on iOS & Android), enter the location to park the vehicle, choose the parking spot and book it for a specified time and make the payment through the app.

Neeraj Kumar, managing director of Haryana Tourism Corporation and Chief Administrator, Surajkund Mela Authority said that with the new parking facility, more visitors are expected this year.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is the ‘Partner Nation’ for the fair and the north-eastern region of India is the theme state.

Officials said that to strengthen the security system, more than 300 CCTV cameras with night vision cameras have been installed at the fair ground. A large number of security personnel, including female guards, are deployed in the fair premises to prevent any untoward incident. Besides, NPR technology will be used for e-surveillance to capture the number plate identity of vehicles entering the fair parking lot.

MD Sinha, principal secretary, tourism, Haryana cum vice chairman, Surajkund International Crafts Mela, said that the fair ground is spread over 43.5 acres of land and has 1,179 work huts for artisans and a multi-cuisine food court. The ambience of the fair will carry cultural motifs representing the ethnic vibrancy and vast heritage of India with motifs and decorations from India’s North-East.

Officials said that this year more than 40 countries will be a part of the fair, including Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Cambodia, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.