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IITF 2018: Exhibitors rue lack of space, facilities
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SME Times News Bureau | 17 Nov, 2018
Space constraints and lack of basic facilities have left traders and
exhibitors at the annual India International Trade Fair (IITF)
disappointed as the venue undergoes a makeover but some customers are
happy they don't have to walk around much.
Be it food stalls
or state/international pavilions, everything at the fair has shrunk
this time due to the implementation of the IECC (Integrated
Exhibition-cum-Convention Center) project at Pragati Maidan. The traders are also struggling to avail proper water and food facilities. Chhattisgarh-based
Kanhaiya Lal Dewangan, who is selling handloom saris, is having to
adjust his stall every now and then to make room for the visitors. "Earlier
I used to get a large stall but this time due to the ongoing
construction work, I had to settle with a smaller one. I'm not even able
to unfold the saris and display them to customers properly. It gets
difficult to handle even one customer at a time now," Dewangan told
IANS. Like Dewangan, there were several other exhibitors who
expressed the same concern and felt that IITF 2018 was one of the most
disorganised fairs. Known for setting up Lucknow's famous
Chikankari kurta stall, U.K. Mishra slammed the organisers for not
fulfilling the exhibitors and traders' basic demands. "We can
manage in this little space but how can we live without water? There are
hardly one or two water filters in the whole hall. Just imagine, 800
stalls and only one or two water filters," he said. "And to get
entry, every day we have to buy a ticket. We did not even get an entry
card. We have just one entry card and we are two people who manage this
stall. My brother has to buy a ticket of Rs 500 every day. Organisers
should look after this and provide concessions to the exhibitors," he
added.
Addressing the furious exhibitors' complaints, Hema Maity,
General Manager at the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), told
IANS: "I agree there is a lack of water facilities. Many water pipelines
are blocked due to construction work but we have arranged water ATMs
and water tanks everywhere with a charge of just Rs 2 per glass and Rs 5
for bottles. "There are many inconveniences faced by the people
this time, but the construction and redevelopment taking place are for
their betterment only." IITF, which marked the initial four days
(November 14-17) for business visitors, is scheduled to continue till
November 27. The 14-day fair is organised by ITPO under the Ministry of
Commerce and Industry. Around 800 national and international
participants are taking part in the exhibition. The average footfall is
expected to be around 30,000 approximately, alarmingly lower than
previous editions. Covering just 23,000 sqm of land, the IITF 2018 is causing trouble to the traders and visitors alike.
From unorthodox parking provisions to limited seating arrangement and shuttles, there are many inconveniences for the visitors. Veena Pandey, who has been attending the trade fair for the past 20 years, was discontent with the quality of food this time. "There
are no proper food stalls, no seating arrangement, nothing. And even if
you find a stall, the food items are overpriced. Take a look outside,
and so many people are sitting on the grass just because of the shortage
of chairs" she said.
A few customers, however, were happy. "I
know there is less space, but to be honest, we are happy as now we do
not have to walk a lot. It saves a lot of time. Old people can now
easily go and look up to the stalls," said Amita, a customer who
attended the fair with her family. Despite constraints, all
Indian states and union territories have made space and installed their
stalls, but those from neighboring countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka
were missing in the fair. Afghanistan is the partner country whereas Nepal is the focus country and Jharkhand, the focus state of IITF 2018.
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