Hyderabad: Disillusioned stall-holders, who had gone back to their states, have returned and are enthusiastically stocking their stalls as the rescheduled opening of the 82nd Numaish at Exhibition Grounds draws near.
In a major development, the organiser of the popular event, All India Industrial Exhibitions (AIIE), received the go-ahead from the city police chief and a final nod is awaited from the authorities for commencing it on February 25. Many of those who are setting up stalls are urging AIIE to extend the dates keeping in mind the ensuing Ramzan. Around 1,400 stalls have been allotted this year.
“Ramzan will commence on April 2 and Muslims will not be able to come for shopping in the first 11 days as they all would be busy offering Taraweeh namaz ,” Rafiq Ahmed, a stallholder, said, adding "We requested the AIIE to extend the dates so that we can recover transportation costs and other overheads.”
The AIIE has paid GHMC Rs 74 lakh for setting up temporary stalls and Rs 50 lakh for trade licenses. It has also urged the fire department to extend the dates by another forty days, said AIIE general secretary Aditya Margam.
