Rs 15-cr flop show in progress

And with yesterday’s hailstorm causing major damage to many of the hangars,questions were raised about their construction by a Delhi-based concern,N K Kapoor Pvt Ltd.

“We were very scared when the storm started. A ceiling fan fell down. It was tied to a pole with a rope,and the walls collapsed. We fled from the stalls,’’ said a woman who is a member of a self-help group that put up stall No. 6.

Another stall holder of the higher education department said: “The stalls were made very shoddily. This is the time of hailstorms and nor’westers. If it happens every day,what do we do?’’

Jatinder Kapoor of the Delhi-based contractor was unruffled when asked about the alleged poor construction.

“Hailstorms and cyclones are natural phenomena. They can damage huge structures. And we have not heard of any ceiling fan falling,’’ Kapoor told The Indian Express.

Most of the government employees assigned by their respective departments to man the stalls questioned the timing of setting up such an expensive fair.

“There are hardly any visitors. Who will come at two in the afternoon,in such scorching heat? The fair should have been held in

winter. Also,there should have been more variety and colour. Many of the stalls just have statements and records of those departments written in English. They are drab and lacklustre and cannot attract visitors,’’ one of the stallholders said.

In order to attract people,the Mela authorities are organising cultural functions where members of the audience are treated to free ice-cream and coffee.

Open between 2 in the afternoon and 8 in the evening,the Rs 15-crore extravaganza is on till May 26.