The Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) is mulling over the idea of facilitating free entry to the students at different intervals to visit the stalls of different Zilla Panchayats at the expo.
This was announced to the media here on Friday by chairman of the authority B P Manjunath.
The authority has already conveyed the plans to the ZPs and will arrive at a decision after discussing the matter in detail.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and City police are already ferrying students to their stalls on their own, the chairman added.
The chairman attributed the fall in number of visitors this year to lack of publicity. On an average three thousand people are visiting the expo during week days, and about 15,000 during weekends. With exactly a month left for the expo to close doors for the year, the authority is banking on improving the numbers through youngsters. He clarified that the managements of the institutions have to inform the expo authority in advance.
They will be given entry at separate intervals, keeping in mind the regular hours. Earlier, the school students were given free entry on the occasion of Children’s Day.
Apart from school students, children from tribal hamlets in the district will also be extended the similar reception.
Though the expo recorded highest 50,000 visitors on the eve of Jamboo Savari, the numbers fell to 40,000 on the D-day. The other reasons that led to the dip in numbers according to the chairman was early festivals and also increasing tribe of people who prefer to keep glued to entertainment programmes on television.
Saying that the expo has array of attractions which will make the visit worth it, the chairman said almost all the government departments have come out with unique concepts.
The KSPCB is creating awareness on the use of plastic and treatment of different types of waste, followed by tourism with a concept- one state many worlds, department of veterinary and animal husbandry displaying the goats of all types to name a few. The company that has bagged the global tender has on display a huge fish aquarium.
The expo is also providing a perfect podium to promote religious harmony. It has been decided to organise mass singing on the occasion of forthcoming Christmas festival. Bishop of Mysore Thomas Antony Vazhapilly will preside over the programme.
KEA CEO M V Hemanth Kumar and others were present.
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