delhi

Updated: Nov 04, 2017 23:31 IST

The India International Trade Fair will be back at the Pragati Maidan from November 14 to 27, though visitors will not get to see the state pavilions and certain halls, as these have been razed to make way for the proposed International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC).

The number of participants and the area for the fair have been halved and the organisers plan to keep the footfall under check, however, authorities have maintained that visitors will get the “full IITF experience” this year as well.

The fair was held in an area of 1 lakh sq metres last year. AK Vashist, GM (security) of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), that organises the trade fair, said this year only a little over half the area will be in commission. Halls 7-12, 12A, and 18 are still standing and will be used during the fair, while six temporary hangars, some as large as 5,000 square metres are being constructed.

All the state pavilions, and certain buildings including the ‘Hall of Nations’, have been demolished, squeezing the space for the fair. The Haryana state pavilion had been demolished before the event last year itself. Areas where construction work is ongoing have been barricaded off, and will not be accessible during the trade fair.

The space crunch means that the ticket sales will be limited to 60,000 per day. In comparison, the average footfall last year was around 1.5 lakh per day. The participants have been halved from over 6,000 last year, to around 3,000 this year. Gate 2 on Bhairon Mandir Marg and Gate 7 on Mathura Road will not be accessible this year.

However, people will be able to enjoy the fair in all its glory, according to J Gunasekhran, GM of ITPO. All the states and union territories will have designated spaces of around 400-500 sq m, inside the halls still available and the temporary hangars. They will also be allowed to put up displays outside these spaces.

“The area for foreign participants has been increased from around 1,900 sq m from last year to close to 3,000 sq m this year,” he said.

The IITF will be open from 9.30am to 7.30pm for the two weeks. The fair will be open to only business visitors from November 14-17, and for the general public from November 18 onwards. Tickets for public will cost ₹60 and ₹40 for adults and children respectively on weekdays, and will increase to ₹120 and ₹60 during the weekend.

People will be able to buy tickets online from November 10 onwards. Four days before the fair opens for the public, tickets will also be available at metro stations. Visitors have been urged to buy their tickets as soon as possible, as the ticket sales have been limited to 60,000 per day because of the reduced space.