The Bhaktapur Industrial and Commerce Fair opened on Friday at Sallaghari. Organized to celebrate the annual traditional festival of Bisket Jatra and welcome the upcoming New Year of Bikram Sambat, the expo features 200 stalls displaying household  utensils, readymade clothing, shoes, electric gadgets, agricultural products, handicraft items, thanka paintings, tea and other goods.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ananda Prasad Pokharel inaugurated the 10-day fair amid a function. According to the coordinator of the event Deepak Thapa, visitors can also enjoy local Newari, Nepali and Continental dishes. Exhibitors have offered discounts ranging from 25 to 50 percent on the products at the festival.

The fair also features amusements for visitors like gaming zones for children and grownups. More than four dozen national-level artistes will be entertaining the crowd with music concerts and comedy programmes. The organizers expect 500,000 people to attend the fair this year.

“Our motive is to have a better relationship with our customers and do business by providing special discounts on various items along with great entertainment,” said Thapa. The fair is projected to have a turnover of Rs100 million, he added.

With regard to security measures to ensure the complete safety of visitors, the organizers said that they had installed CCTV cameras all over the venue and stationed security guards and emergency units to prevent unwanted behaviour.

The expo is expected to attract visitors from nearby districts such as Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Kavrepalanchok and Sindhupalchok.