Don’t accord permission to Numaish due to Omicron surge: Lawyer

Hyderabad: In wake of surge in Omicron (COVID-19) cases across India, a city based lawyer has sought the cancellation of Numaish-2022. Advocate Khaja Aijazuddin has shot off petitions to various instrumentalities of the governance seeking for not to accord permission to exhibition society to conduct proposed 81st All India Industrial Exhibition/Numaish.

The COVID-19 and its new variant Omicron is still in subsistence and the pandemic will remain, in view of the expert report given by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.In view of the Guidelines which are still in force, Police Commissioner Hyderabad, Health department and other Government departments shall not accord any approval to the Exhibition Society for conduct of numaish / exhibition January 1,2022. Since footfall on a daily basis is almost more than 45000 visitors will be coming.

The Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,Chief Secretary,Government of Telangana,District Collector Hyderabad and Director of Public Health and Family Welfare Telangana state and police commissioner Hyderabad have been petitioned.

The guidelines which were already passed by the Union Home Secretary and Health Secretary Government of India, clearly mandates that exhibitions of more than thousands and thousands people assembling on daily basis is restricted and in view of the of World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines been followed by Union Government, hence till such time the massive and huge gatherings should not be accorded the permissions.

The Government departments shall intervene by directing the Exhibition Society to withdraw the stalls availed from the traders forthwith calling the general public, traders for stall applications as the collection of amounts from the public at large is illegal and unwarranted the lawyer said in his petition.

In the year 2019 fire incident occurred in the exhibition resulting in filing of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the High Court of Telangana by Lawyer Khaja Aihazuddin on the ground that the exhibition society had failed to procure mandatory Fire NOC (No Objection Certificate)

Numaish, a hallmark event of Hyderabad, witnesses a footfall of 40000 visitors on the daily basis.This will be the second time in the history of the Numaish, that the very popular event is not going to be held if the permission is denied by the Government.