Sand sculptures of Five Guarantee Schemes and Chandrayaan-3 Mission ready

Mysore/Mysuru: Preparations for Dasara Exhibition, one of the prominent attractions during Dasara every year are almost complete, with Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) all set for the inauguration on Oct.15, which will be open for 90 days till Jan. 15, 2024.

Rajesh G. Gowda, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KEA, told Star of Mysore yesterday that “Bengaluru based Fun World has bagged the global tender for Rs. 11.52 crore to conduct the exhibition, which includes 120 commercial stalls, amusement park and vehicle parking facility. Both Fun World and Bengaluru Sales and Marketing had bid for the tender. But Fun World had quoted a highest bid of Rs. 11.52 crore, while Bengaluru Sales and Marketing had quoted lowest of Rs. 9.68 crore. With this KEA has generated additional revenue of Rs. 3.44 crore this year, as during the previous year the same successful bidder had bagged the tender for Rs. 8.08 crore.”

Apart from  commercial stalls, there are 38 Government stalls, with the works at 75 percent of the stalls expected to be completed prior to the inauguration of exhibition. Remaining 25 percent of stalls will be opened within a week’s time, he added.

The amusement park at the exhibition this time has 35 varied attractions like China Pendulum, Windmill, Tsunami, bike stunts to name a few. The works are on to install the equipment.

The entry ticket for adults will be Rs. 30 and for children  Rs. 20, while the entry for specially-abled is free, said Vinod Sabarwal, the proprietor of Fun World which has successfully run the show for nine years.

Another main attraction is the sand sculptures highlighting the five Guarantee Schemes of the State Government and the Chandrayaan-3 Mission. The sand sculpture of ‘Power Star’ Puneeth Rajkumar is also taking shape at the exhibition.

 Cultural programmes are organised daily in the evenings, with special programmes on every Saturday and Sunday by popular artistes. The roads and fountains at the exhibition premises have been repaired, with the buildings refurbished with a fresh coat of paint. The main entrance of the expo and other places will also be illuminated with colourful lightings.

The KEA CEO said that “Over 20 lakh people are expected to visit the exhibition this time against 17 lakh total visitors last year. The increase in number of visitors this time is anticipated due to the Shakti Scheme that provides for free travel for women in KSRTC buses across the State.”