Stall owners selling myriad items at Khadi Gramodyog fair, which is being held at Parade Ground these days have sounded unhappy with poor response coming from the people. Claiming that visitors are not much interested to visit the khadi fair due to the ongoing Virasat which is being held at Dr Ambedkar Stadium, they say it is affecting their sale.
Traditional caps and food products are on sale in the fair. Traditional carpets, woolen stoles from Chamoli, tea leaves from Assam and some crafts are being sold. Bags made of the hemp sticks are also available in the fair this year.
A stall owner Viren Bhandari from Chamoli said that over the past four days, they had earned just Rs 15,000. “We have on sale traditional mats called ‘asan’ which is priced at Rs450 per piece,” he said.
Ajendra Ramola from Agrakhal , Tehri, said not much people were being seen these days at the fair. “We have sold items worth just Rs 4000 from our stall. Maybe, it is because of the ongoing Virasat. Besides, this fair is being held here for the past three years,” he said.
The stalls pitched by Uttrakhand Khadi Gramudyog Board are not selling much, the owners say. The sale is low, standing at a paltry Rs10,000, they add. luxmi Devi and Pitambari Devi, residents of Chamba, said they had brought stoles stitched in the traditional method. But the volume of sale is dismal, they said.