Cuttack: The eight-day maritime trade fair, Bali Jatra, in Odisha’s Cuttack may be extended for two more days.
Cuttack mayor Subash Singh on Sunday told the media that he had written to Chief Minister to allow extension of the Bali Jatra at two places on Mahanadi river banks in the city for two more days. The Jatra, which has been attracting huge footfall, will attract more visitors on these two days, he added.
The Baili Jatra, which began on the occasion of Kartika Purnima at Gadagadia Ghat of the Mahanadi on last Monday, is scheduled to end on December 4. It is considered as Asia’s biggest open-air fair.
The Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) has allotted 420 stalls to traders at the venue. Traders and artisans from 30 districts of Odisha and 22 other states like Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Manipur, Tripura, and Chhattisgarh have showcased their products at Pallishree Mela.
Besides art and crafts, a wide array of handloom and handicraft products, agri-horticulture value-added products, authentic spices of women producers and artisans are on sale in the stalls. A special gallery has been set up to showcase rural Cuttack.
Other attractions at this year’s fair include tunnel aquarium, digital exhibition, art exhibition, eco-friendly fire and multimedia and laser light shows, rural pavilion, handicrafts, urban SHG enclosure inside ‘Cuttack in Cuttack’, water sports and musical evenings.
The food pavilion with around 30 stalls offer delicacies from Odisha, Rajasthan, Punjab and North-Eastern states.
