The number of visitors to the famous Mysuru Dasara Exhibition is steadily increasing. On Saturday, the Karnataka Exhibition Authority collected entrance fees of over Rs. 3.5 lakh. The KEA is expected to collect over Rs. 4.5 lakh on Sunday.
Gate collection at the exhibition had come down in the last one month, owing to incessant rain, particularly at night. Not only was the KEA disappointed by the poor collection, but also shopkeepers at the exhibition were affected by poor turnout. The KEA had collected gate collections by way of entry fees in the range of Rs.80, 000 to Rs.1, 10,000 in the last 30 days and business had come down considerably. However, the number of visitors to the exhibition has constantly increased since a week now, instilling hopes among shopkeepers. Even the KEA is hopeful of reaching its target of Rs. 3 crore from the entry fees alone this year. The Mysuru exhibition, which has a glorious past, was started by the Maharaja of Mysore Chamaraja Wodeyar X in 1880 with the sole aim of introducing timely developments to the people of Mysore. The task of holding the exhibition has been entrusted to the KEA since 1987.
