• 66-day extravaganza with shopping,  food stalls, amusement from next week
• Entry fee: Rs. 30 for adults, Rs. 20 for children; parking fee extra

Mysore/Mysuru: To compensate revenue loss incurred for two years (2020 & 2021) owing to the non-conduct of the annual Dasara Exhibition due to low-key celebrations and as a crowd-control measure, the Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) is set to organise a ‘special expo’ at the Dasara Exhibition Grounds from next week and preparations are on in full swing.

“It cannot be called Dasara Exhibition but it is a special expo which will resemble the scale of Dasara expo and will be held for 66 days. People are bored as there is not much entertainment and shopping activities in Mysuru after a low-key Dasara and moreover, there has been no revenue for KEA and as such, we have come up with this plan,” KEA Chairman Hemanth Kumar Gowda told SOM this morning.

Adults entering the exhibition will be charged Rs. 30 and children between 5 years and 12 years will be charged Rs. 20. The last Annual Dasara Exhibition was held in 2019.

Hectic preparations are on for the expo to open next week and already 60 of the proposed 140 stalls have come up inside the premises. Stalls will contain art works, handloom products and a wide variety of products from all over India including from cottage industry, handicrafts, weaving societies and the likes, he added. This apart, wholesome entertainment is in the offing along with lip-smacking delicacies. 

Once the expo starts, the response of the people will be seen and the dates will be extended if need be, the KEA Chairman said. “Focus will be on shopping, food and entertainment. We are also planning to organise cultural programmes at B.V. Karanth Rangamandira,” he added.

Bengaluru-based Fun World has bagged the contract for the conduct of the entire expo and the deal has been signed for Rs. 62 lakh. The contractor has to pay money to the KEA and he will have the exclusive rights for the entry tickets and parking, Hemanth Kumar Gowda said. There will be a separate fee structure for parking two-wheelers, cars, cabs and buses, he added.