Permanent Centres For Exhibition Planned For Six States

Permanent exhibition centres, modelled on New Delhi's Pragati Maidan, are to be set up in Bangalore, Chennai and Calcutta.

Union commerce minister Ramakrishna Hegde said here yesterday that a 50-acre integrated exhibition centre would come up at Whitefield, near Bangalore, at a cost of about Rs 60 crore.

"I had written to the Chief Ministers of Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Andhara Pradesh and Karnataka. Jyoti Basu, Karunanidhi and J H Patel had responded to my proposal. I will be meeting the other two and will finalise the exhibition centres in their state capital," Hegde said.

Pragati Maidan is promoted by Indian Trade Promotion Organisation, a commerce ministry body. The exhibition centre hosts trade fairs and exhibitions round the year. It has helped generate business opportunities and has emerged as a platform to showcase business interests.

Hegde said that a cold storage transit terminal will be inaugurated by the weekend at the Bangalore Airport. The only other such cold storage plant is at the New Delhi airport.

The cold storage terminal will help the floriculture industry to begin with, though other perishable export goods will also benefit. Vegetables and fruits can now be held over and exported from Bangalore.