IITF: Packed beyond capacity

Ruhi Bhasin & Neha Lalchandani / TNN / Nov 21, 2005, 02:30 IST

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On Sunday, it seemed that all of Delhi had decided to head for India International Trade Fair 2005.

NEW DELHI: On Sunday, it seemed that all of Delhi had decided to head for India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2005. Defying all concept of 'space', over 2.5 lakh visitors were seen at the fair.
In fact, even the ticket sales had to be stopped after 3.30 pm in order to prevent any more visitors. The last time such a huge crowd had thronged IITF was in 1990s, with approximately 3.5 lakh visitors on a single day.
According to police officials, 1.5 lakh people had to return back disappointed as the sale of tickets had been stopped.
And then there were some, who, despite having tickets, returned as they didn't want to spend a Sunday jostling with crowds. "We stopped ticket sales in order to control the crowd.

Since we had no control over the sale of tickets at other ticket counters apart from Pragati Maidan, this is the least we could have done," said an ITPO official.
Unlike other days at the fair, there was a massive crowd waiting to go inside, with queues stretching up right from the main road to the overhead bridge. It took over 20 minutes only to cross over to the other side.
Those who managed the Herculean task of buying tickets and reaching the gates had more in store. According to the traffic police, all parking lots were packed to capacity.

Two to three points had to be opened for visitors to cross the roads, as there was hardly any space on the footpath to walk.
"We had anticipated that people would use the overhead bridge and the subway to cross over, but the crowd was so huge on Sunday that we had to allow them to cross the roads from certain monitored points," said Qamar Ahmed, joint commissioner of police (traffic).
The phenomenal crowd meant greater trouble for the authorities. There were a few incidents of misbehaviour, most of which the police brought under control within seconds.
The sheer volume of visitors also made thorough checking impossible."I was told there was very strict checking at IITF but I walked in without putting my bag through the X-ray," said Raj Singh, a school student.
The police arrested three youths for breach of peace and detained four others for rowdy behaviour. Another man was arrested on charges of eve-teasing.
Four more companies from Delhi Police had to be called late in the afternoon, once it seemed the situation would get out of control.
"We needed more force to control the crowd, both inside and outside. There were about 1.5 lakh people waiting outside when the entry was stopped.
People were again allowed entry only after 5.30 pm," said additional DCP (New Delhi), Rajiv Ranjan. Though the huge crowd may have made mobility almost impossible, there were people who wanted to see the fair even if it meant paying a little extra.
"Though I had to buy our tickets in black for Rs 60, I enjoyed the trade fair immensely. There was no point in returning all the way back to Patparganj without having seen the fair," said Pinky Chawla, a housewife.
Tickets for adults were priced at Rs 40 on the weekend and are otherwise for Rs 25. Visitors occupied every empty space and it was dotted with litter all over.
Even the lake and fountains were not spared. Dustbins outside state food stalls were literally buried under a pile of rubbish. Several missing children were also reported in the fair on Sunday.
At least 24 such cases were registered with the police, compared to three to four cases on other days. Nine-year-old Vikas Gehlot got separated from his family while they were entering stall number 14.
Sitting patiently at the control room, waiting to be collected, Vikas said: "I was holding my uncle's hand but the crowd was so huge that I got separated from him."

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