Coming to Manesar: India’s largest exhibition centre

Haryana has already put in motion the plan to acquire land for the complex,which,a senior state government functionary said,would be “at least twice the size of Pragati Maidan”. The total cost of the project would be at least Rs 2,500 crore.

In fact,sources said,the Government of India has already committed to Haryana that it will shift the annual India International Trade Fair to the new site once it is ready. Recently,the consortium of Jurong-KPMG-DTZ-ESRI,consultants hired for a pre-feasibility study,submitted a report to the government.

“We have issued notices under the Land Acquisition Act for acquiring land for the mega project. A firm is already working on the plan and will present the blueprints of the proposed centre shortly. It will be a two-phase project,” said a senior official of the Haryana government.

The project will be a joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Haryana.

It is learnt that the project,spread in an area of more than 250 acres,will be situated on the KMP Expressway and is the first of three early bird projects proposed by the Haryana government as part of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. It will have open and indoor space for exhibitions,at least one five-star hotel and entertainment facilities.

Among other things,Manesar’s Pragati Maidan,as the project is being referred to now before it is formally christened,will have one of the biggest conference facilities in the country,enough to accommodate 4,000 people.

“Pragati Maidan is old and many exhibitors don’t want to go there due to lack of space and parking problems. Even the public keep away from exhibitions such as the recently-held India International Trade Fair due to shortage of parking space. International companies too shy away for the same reason. But,once,the Manesar project is complete,it will be a much-better ultra-modern expo centre,” said a Haryana government functionary.