Day 1 of Noida fair hit by brief showers

Brief showers marred the inaugural function of Shilpotsav-2010, a 10-day international shopping and cultural extravaganza, at Noida stadium in Sector 21A on Friday.

Brief showers marred the inaugural function of Shilpotsav-2010, a 10-day international shopping and cultural extravaganza, at Noida stadium in Sector 21A on Friday. Wind and rain damaged gates and portions of the main stage, besides defacing stalls and several art pieces. UP chief secretary Atul Gupta, after a considerable delay due to bad weather, inaugurated the event in commotion.

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"Though bad weather caused disruption and delay, the event was inaugurated in a grand style. The weather will improve and the shopping festival will live up to the expectations," NP Singh, deputy CEO of the Noida authority said.

Riding on a sports-based theme to cash in on the post-CWG hangover, Shilpotsav-2010 is being held by the Union Ministry of Tourism and the state government on the lines of the international Dubai shopping festival. The event has 300 stalls with craftsmen from India and foreign countries showcasing and selling their products.

Director-General, Tourism, Avnish Awasthi earlier in the day told this correspondent the annual Noida Shilpotsav shopping festival would be replicated in other cities such as Ghaziabad, Meerut, Mathura and Bulandshahar. "Ghaziabad till date has no such activity. I think we can start a similar event there from this February itself," he said.