Poor planning hits government expo’s revenue in Vellore

Although it was an extended weekend owing to Pongal festival, the exhibition witnessed a meagre footfall. The exhibition, which was inaugurated by state ministers, K C Veeramani, Kadambur Raju and Nilofer Kabil on Saturday, had just a couple of stalls put up by some government departments. Even at the inaugural function only around 200 spectators turned up, most of whom were party cadre and media persons. 

The exhibition will be organized generally from mid-December for 45 days aimed at drawing huge crowd as the period will cover the half yearly school vacations and Pongal holidays. The average collection through the fair would be around Rs 15 lakh, sources said. But this time, the fair had a delayed start and this resulted in low patronage from traders. Further, the entertainment section, which used to be the main attraction, also failed to take off at the fair at the right time. 

Officials said that the fair was delayed as workers kept away citing Pongal holidays. Public was also disappointed over the venue of the expo which was being conducted in a private property this year and not in the traditional location of Fort Maidan.