HYDERABAD: It was a big letdown for the Exhibition Society which organises the annual Industrial Exhibition. There was an air of expectancy among its members that chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao will make an announcement about handing over the land on which exhibition is held
to the Society, when he inaugurated the show on Friday evening.
But Rao did nothing of the sort. He hardly spent five minutes on the stage. In his brief one-minute address he declared open the ‘Numaish’, extended New Year greetings and congratulated the Exhibition Society for conducting the mega event.
In fact the chief minister appeared to be in a tearing hurry. When finance minister Etala Rajender was asked to deliver his welcome address, KCR intervened and got up to speak. In just one minute flat he wound up his speech and left the venue much to the surprise of the Exhibition Society members and the people gathered on the occasion.
After the chief minister’s departure, the finance minister, who is also the Exhibition Society president, delivered his welcome address. Sensing the disappointment of the Exhibition Society members, he said the process of handing over the sprawling land to the Society was almost complete. But the matter was slightly delayed as the principal secretary, Revenue, was on leave. The chief minister was keen that the Exhibition Society should get the land under its name since it was doing a yeoman service.
The finance minister appreciated the pioneering role being played by the Exhibition Society in providing education to girls particularly. He appealed to the Society to open educational institutions in all districts of Telangana and wanted the exhibition grounds, which is in
the heart of the city, to be utilised round the year. Hyderabad attracted traders from all over the world, an opportunity the Exhibition Society should not let go. The latter should improve its infrastructure and conduct events on par with the international organisations, Rajender said.
V Satyender, Hon. Secretary, Exhibition Society, presented the report and Aditya Margam, joint secretary, proposed the vote of thanks.