Hyderabad :

The tourism department is mulling a slew of measures to resuscitate the Night Bazaar ( Shilpa Sandhya Vedika) at Shilparamam which has failed to attract denizens even after two years of operation.

According to official sources, the department is planning to improve footfalls and occupancy of stalls by keeping the bazaar open till 1 am on weekdays and 3 am on weekends, for which Cyberabad police has given its nod. Presently, the bazaar is officially slated to operate till 12 am on all days. However, many stalls close by 10 pm due to lack of patronage.

“The bazaar was set to remain open till 3 am when it was envisaged. However, it could not remain open as we did not get police clearance. Now the Cyberabad police have given its nod to keep it open till 3 am on weekends,” an official said, adding that a proposal for a police outpost was mooted and a place has already been earmarked by the tourism department.

The department also appointed an officer on special duty (OSD) to manage daily affairs of the bazaar. An order that was released earlier this week said that the officer has been entrusted with the responsibility for transforming the bazaar into a “happening place.” “Plans are being drawn up to improve arrivals at the bazaar in a couple of months,” said V Madhusudan, who was appointed as OSD at the night bazaar.

It was also learnt that the tourism department plans to organize cultural programmes to attract crowds, largely from the IT hubs of Madhapur, Gachibowli and surrounding areas.

Officials added that tenders for several stalls will be recalled in the coming days as many bidders backed out due to lack of demand for the stalls. There are 100 stalls, organized in four theme-based categories which largely deal in apparel, handicrafts and food services. Sources said as food stalls account for the maximum number of unoccupied stalls, efforts are on to renegotiate terms with existing bidders. The bazaar was planned in 2006 with an outlay of Rs 11 crore but took nearly five years to be completed at a cost of Rs 25 crore.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / February 01st, 2014