No child's play

ITPO bars free entry of school kids to Trade Fair

ITPO bars free entry of school kids to Trade Fair

While others used to wait in long queues at ticket windows, they flashed their school I-cards to gain entry into the India International Trade Fair. But that was till last year.


Trash talk: The scene outside the Delhi pavilion during the 30th India
International Trade Fair in New Delhi on Sunday. PIC/Imtiyaz Khan

The India Trade Promotion Organisation, organisers of the yearly fair at Pragati Maidan, has discontinued the free entry to school students this year. The international fair got underway at the huge exhibition ground in central Delhi on Sunday.

Asked the reason behind the decision, ITPO chairman Safdar H Khan said, "We were facing a lot of problems in managing large crowds who were necessarily not interested in the fair."

"The decision had to be taken to keep a tab on the crowd, as we have to maintain security. People impersonating as school children get inside the premises and create trouble," he added.

However, schools would be given 50 per cent discount on entry fee. "The tickets would still be available to school students at Rs 20 and 30 respectively. I don't think it is such a big amount. But if this small measure can help us keep the unruly mob away from the venue, I don't think it is such a bad idea," Khan said.

"We will be soon making arrangements for our students to visit the fair. This time the entry is not free so we have to manage for the event beforehand," said Anand Swaroop, Principal, Air Force Bal Bharti School.

"I don't see putting an entry charge on school students would help heighten security. I don't find it a satisfactory reason. It is an event for cultural exposure and understanding. It should be free for school students," Vijender Gupta, Chairperson, Delhi Teachers and Parents Association.

Saddi Dilli
Images from Commonwealth Games, jewellery from Chandni Chowk and mouth-watering food items made in Tihar Jail -- the Delhi Pavilion at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) has it all. Delhi Pavilion was inaugurated by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who got a virtual tour of the capital as she watched glimpses of the various landmarks on the screen.

Visuals of the recently concluded Commonwealth Games were galore at the pavilion as pictures of Indian athletes lined its walls and the rhythms of Palash Sen's 'Dilli Meri Jaan,' one of the songs of the Games, greeted visitors. The pavilion also exhibits eco-friendly products like Khadi and herbal goods, in keeping with the fair's theme -- clean and energy efficient technology, products and services.

Take yuor DNA home

Interested in taking home your own DNA? Scientists are offering to do this at the Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology (IGIB) stall at the CSIR Technofest at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) that got underway today. The entire process takes a few minutes and young scientists hand over a persons DNA, neatly preserved in a small vial. Many people were seen crowding the IGIB stall at the CSIR Technofest taking home the small and very special memorablia. Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal inaugurated the CSIR Technofest a mega exhibition covering diverse fields in which the consortium of 37 state-run labs conducts research.