KOZHIKODE: Curtains came down on the Malabar Shopping Festival on Wednesday, with the organisers hailing it as a milestone in the trade and industrial sector.
"The success of the event has even led the State Government to think of organising a Kerala Shopping Festival which would ensure the participation of all districts," says festival director A Jayathilak. The festival has turned out to be a model for development initiatives with public support, he adds.
Though the organisers agree on the existing differences of opinion regarding the achievements and failures, they assert that the event has given the right beginning from where the region could achieve financial growth in all sectors.
"It has also helped Kozhikode to regain the lost focus in tourism and development sectors," says Mayor M Bhaskaran.
However, only Rs 1.7 crore could be mobilised through sponsorships, membership distribution, sale of coupons and entry fee, against the targeted Rs 3.5 crore.
The State Government had released Rs 1 crore for the conduct of shopping festival, besides offering Rs. 50 lakh in kind, taking the anticipated estimate to Rs. 5 crore.
The trade fair at the Swapnanagari, organisers claim, registered about 4.4 lakh visitors. The number of visitors on weekends rose to 30,000 to 40,000, they said. The Kerala Automobiles Limited was among the companies, which won good response at the trade fair.
Though lucky draw scheme failed to achieve the targeted results, the festival director says it evoked good response among the traders and the public. More than 3,000 memberships were distributed among the traders besides coupons worth Rs. 35 lakh.
As many as 1,505 prizes had been instituted through bumper, weekly and daily draw of lot.
Bomb hoax: Bomb hoax kept police on their toes during the finale of Malabar Mahotsavam. Police received a call in the evening saying that bombs have been planted on the open stage at the beach.
Bomb squad carried out a search and found it a hoax.
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