Visiting Numaish a lot easier now

Hyderabad: For Hyderabadis, Numaish at the dawn of new year is an annual shopping jamboree. However, many families refrain from heading to the venue, Nampally Exhibition Grounds, owing to parking issues. For such people, Metro rail service provides a pleasant experience, by ferrying them right to the spot.

Mahima, a housewife and resident of Kukatpally, delightedly said on Friday, "We had stopped going to the exhibition but now it is just a hop, skip and jump. One does not have to bother about parking issues; the whole family can now visit numaish."

Metro Rail officials say that there is an increase in footfalls. During numaish, the number of passengers goes up. On special days, the number could touch 20,000. Officials say that the footfalls increase on weekends and on occasions such as Pongal and other festival days.

It is just a week since the exhibition started and already there is a surge in footfalls. From 6,000, the number has jumped to 12,000 (including entry and exit). The last Metro train leaves Gandhi Bhavan Metro station at 11:30 pm. Special counters have also been arranged at the exhibition grounds for the passengers to purchase Metro train tickets.

"We have been visiting this exhibition for the past 5 years. But the connectivity of Metro is very helpful as there will not be any pressure for us to find a proper parking place," said Lavanya, a resident of Bowenpally.

Supraja, an IT employee who visits the exhibition every year, said, "For the past two years, our family has been going to the exhibition by the Metro train. If we use our own transport, half of the time would be spent wading through the traffic. Even if we get away from the traffic, the other cause of concern is the parking."

Explaining an incident due to the parking, Shazim Hirani, a techie said, "When I visited the exhibition three years back, my car got damaged due to lack of proper parking. After which I preferred going by metro."