The ongoing 35th India International Trade Fair (IITF) witnessed huge crowds on Wednesday due to the Gurpurab holiday and more than three lakh visitors descended upon Pragati Maidan and Delhi Metro services suffered as a result of this rush.
India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) recorded the highest number of visitors till date and stopped selling tickets to the fair at all entry gates. Metro services on the Blue line, the busiest corridor, were severely hit on Wednesday owing to “excessive” passenger rush at the Pragati Maidan Metro Station. Passengers travelling on this 50-km-long section that connects Dwarka to Noida were left stranded for long durations that sometimes stretched to around an hour.
“As many as 17 extra trains were running on the Blue line and they were making 100 more trips in comparison to an off day (Sunday) time table. There was no failure throughout the day but train movement was regulated at Pragati Maidan due to the large inflow of IITF visitors. Trains from Yamuna Bank and Mandi House had to be put on hold till the crowd was cleared from the platform and the concourse of Pragati Maidan station to accommodate the next rush of passengers from incoming trains. This delayed services on the Noida/Vaishali section,” said a Metro official.
“Due to the huge crowd at Pragati Maidan station, trains were halting for more than 20 seconds, the usual duration. This is because the doors were not shutting on time,” a senior Metro official said.
Metro trains cannot move if the automated gates are not shut properly. Impatient commuters wondered why the Metro authorities could not at least make announcements stating the reason for the delay.
“A 20-minute journey from Mayur Vihar to Mandi House took me around an hour. Trains were halting for around 7-10 minutes at each station till Pragati Maidan,” a commuter said.
A senior official at ITPO told The Pioneer that with Wednesday being the last public holiday before the trade fair ends on November 27, a large number of people visited the fair.
“The capacity of the ITPO ground is merely one lakh. However, the number of visitors recorded is three times the number,” said an official. “To avoid the massive crowd in the trade fair, we stopped selling tickets at all entry gates of IITF,” official further said.
Due to the massive crowd, cases of children gone missing in the crowd was also on the rise. The Facilitation Centre has reported 500 cases of lost and found children till date.
Sweety Paul, announcer at the information centre said that since morning, she has made 200 announcements of missing children in the crowd. It was noticed that the entry of visitors at Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala and Rajasthan pavilions was blocked by the directors of the pavilions.
“To avoid serious causalities in the interiors of the pavilion, we are stopping visitor’s entry for some time,” said a pavilion director. As per the records of Metro Hospital and Heart Institute official at the first aid point, a serious case of fainting of a person was reported who was kept under the observation of doctors for a long time.
“The patient fainted due to suffocation inside the Kerala Pavilion. Excessive crowd inside the pavilions could lead to serious health problems, especially for the people who are suffering from respiratory diseases,” said heath expert at first aid point.
An exhibitor Renu Chiba said that ongoing trade fair has achieved success in inviting more traders and buyers. “The selling of décor product is high today. The traders, exhibitors and buyers are happy as all three are fulfilling each other’s requirements,” she said.