Mysore/Mysuru: The Special Exhibition organised by the Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) to make up for the loss incurred due to cancellation of the annual Dasara Exhibition is back with a bang at the Dasara Exhibition Grounds.

The show re-commenced on Feb. 19 and will be held for 23 days following all COVID-19 precautions. Since COVID pandemic took over the world, the exhibition which is a major attraction of the Dasara season, had to be cancelled.

As the second wave petered out, the KEA thought of a plan to hold a special exhibition with an aim to provide a new shopping experience for Mysureans and at the same time increase its revenues.

Accordingly, the exhibition was inaugurated on Nov. 27 last year and Jan. 30, 2022 was fixed as the last date. The exhibition got good response and on an average, over 5,000 to 7,000 people visited per day with the numbers breaching the 10,000 mark during weekends. However, the third wave of the pandemic along with the Omicron variant struck the city with increased infection rate. Consequently, the event was cancelled based on the directive issued by Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Dr. Bagadi Gautham.

Now with the third wave ending, the KEA has taken a decision to re-start the exhibition and has limited it to 23 days, ending on March 12. On Sunday, thousands of people visited the exhibition.

Of the 142 stalls in the restarted exhibition, most of them have been opened including clothing, handicrafts, pottery, food courts and amusement parks. While adults have to pay Rs. 30 per head as entry free, children have to pay Rs. 20. The expo will be open between 3.30 pm and 9 pm.