Hamidul Islam, a visitor at Dhaka International Trade Fair-2022, expressed his dissatisfaction over the poor condition of the road leading to the fair venue at Purbachal, a suburb of the capital.
Like him, many other visitors also expressed their disappointment as the ongoing work of road construction caused sufferings during their travel.
“I am here with my family but all the way we suffered for bad condition of the road though the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation bus service was available for us,” said Jasim Sikdar, another visitor.
Jasim also said that earlier the fair was held at Agargaon but Purbachal is very far from the capital which increased their woes and the transportation cost is also high.
On the other hand, traders expressed concerns as there is possibility of low business if the presence of visitors does not increase in the upcoming days due to the dilapidated road.
However, many stalls are still unprepared as they are undergoing construction.
Talking to The Business Post, owner of The Shawl House Hilal Ahmad said, “I am not satisfied with the services of the authorities. Facilities for the traders are not enough here.”
Saleh Tazi, manager of Turkish Carpet said, “We are fully dependent on the business of DITF. We hope more visitors will visit our stall in the coming days.”
Many other traders, however, expressed hope that the business will gain momentum gradually.
This year, a total of 225 stalls, including 23 pavilions, 27 mini pavilions, have been leased to a number of local and international organisations.
Apart from business stalls and pavilions, food courts, restrooms, and a playground for children are available at the venue.
This year, the government has provided 30 BRTC buses for transporting the visitors.
The buses run between Kuril flyover and the fair venue from 8:00am to 10:00pm every day. Visitors have to pay a minimum fare of Tk 30, but for the air conditioned bus service, they have to pay Tk 50.
The fair remains open for all from 10:00am to 9:00pm every day. However, on government holidays, the fair will run till 10:00pm. Ticket price for the adults has been fixed at Tk 40 and minors for Tk 20.
The Dhaka International Trade Fair was first held in 1995.
This year, the fair opened on January 1 at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center, which was built at a cost of Tk 817 crore, comprising a total of 33,000 square metres of floor space.
