Numaish: Covid has organisers guessing

However, the Exhibition Society here is issuing applications to stallholders, and the application fee will be refunded if permission is denied to conduct the event

Hyderabad: In the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, uncertainty looms large over the 2021 edition of the All India Industrial Exhibition, popular as Numaish, a hallmark event of Hyderabad.

However, the Exhibition Society here is issuing applications to stallholders, and the application fee will be refunded if permission is denied to conduct the event.

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In the chequered 80-year history of the Numaish, this could perhaps be the first time that the immensely popular event is not held — if the permission was not granted. Every year, the gates of the Exhibition Grounds at Nampally are opened on January 1. This time around, given the prevailing conditions, the Exhibition Society says it is prepared to postpone the launch to February 1 if required.

“Utmost priority will be given to the safety of visitors, and all Covid-19 guidelines will be followed. We will be seeking permission from the State government after November 15,” society secretary B Prabha Shankar said.

Meanwhile, the response from stallholders to submit applications had been encouraging so far with over 500 applications being filed, he said.
Annually, about 1,400 applications are issued and each applicant can book two or three stalls as per requirement. Considering the prevailing conditions, the Exhibition Society is also willing to cut down the issue of applications considerably.

Social distancing must be maintained and all precautions taken to ensure maximum space between the stalls. For this purpose, more open space was created, the secretary said.

The Numaish is synonymous with Hyderabad and is held from January 1 to February 15. About 60,000 visitors visit the exhibition on weekdays and the numbers swell to nearly a lakh on weekends and holidays.

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