With a view to make this year’s Dasara more friendly to senior citizens and differently abled persons, the Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) has introduced a battery-operated vehicle for the benefit of these persons.
The vehicle, which is operated by a private person, will also pick up and drop those who are tired of walking at a nominal cost.
Syed Fazil Pasha, a resident of Rajivnagar in city, is the owner of the battery-operated vehicle, who bought the vehicle at a cost of Rs. 5.5 lakh from Bangalore.
Speaking to SOM, Syed said he wanted to operate the vehicle in this year’s Expo to help seniors and specially abled persons.
Syed, who contacted Dr. H.T. Chandrashekar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KEA with the proposal, was given a green signal by the CEO.
He said that apart from ferrying seniors and specially abled persons free, he would ferry others at a nominal cost. He said that after seeing the response and the demand for this vehicle, he would get one more vehicle from Bangalore. Dream Technologies, Bangalore, is manufacturing these vehicles.
Dr. Chandrashekar said that top priority would be given to seniors and specially abled persons for pick up and drop facility and added that as Syed had invested Rs. 5.5 lakh for the vehicle by taking loan from a bank, a nominal cost of Rs. 20 for children above five years and Rs. 40 for others would be charged to help Syed repay the loan.
Dr. Chandrashekar said that earlier the KEA had planned to introduce the battery vehicle to cater to the needs of such persons but later it was decided to give it to a private person to operate on experimental basis.
He said that the tickets for senior citizens will be borne by the Exhibition Authority.
Dr. Chandrashekar said that apart from this vehicle, other attractions in the expo are a special park for senior citizens and children constructed in front of the CEO's office and named as B.G.L. Swamy Park.
He further said that stone benches for senior citizens and about 15 games such as swings, sea-saw etc., for children in the age group of 5 and 15 years has been put up at the park at a cost of Rs. 10 lakh.
Dr. Chandrashekar said that apart from these and regular stalls at the expo, 75 Khadi stalls, 106 industrial stalls and other stalls have come up at the Expo this time.
Courtesy : Star Of Mysore
