KOCHI: Even as Ernakulam district administration and District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) washed their hands off the organisation of the ‘Summer Expo 2012’, documents reveal that the event was planned and organised with the acknowledgment of both agencies. he shopping extravaganza, that began on April 5 at the Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium premises, finds itself in murky waters with Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) asking the organisers - Cochin Tourism Cooperative Society - to pay rent for the land allotted to them.With the expo scheduled to run through to April 22, what remains a bone of contention is the positioning of the district administration and DTPC as co-organisers. As the participating parties failed to pay up, GCDA sealed the expo on April 12, leading to both the district administration and DTPC denying any association with the event. Later, the expo was re-opened on the same day with the organisers handing over a cheque for an unspecified amount to the authorities concerned.DTPC came up with a statement that they were not directly involved with the event. Secretary T N Jayashankar expressed surprise at DTPC’s name being included in promotional material. “What is surprising is that DTPC figures in promotional material of the event in spite of no official communication from our side,” Jayashankar said. “Officials may patronise tourism initiatives but it does not imply that we are party to every event or can be named as organisers without our knowledge.” he said.However, a copy of a letter in possession of ‘City Express’ negates the statements of denial made by the Ernakulam Collector and DTPC. The letter, dated January 25 and signed by Collector P I Sheikh Pareeth clearly states that the ‘Summer Expo 2012’ was to be held in association with the district administration and DTPC. The Collector has been named as the general convenor of the expo in the correspondence. This implies that both bodies were aware of the nature of the event and the inclusion of the credentials of the district collectorate and DTPC in the proceedings of the expo.Meanwhile, a further discrepancy that arises in the matter is the overwhelming number of stalls selling consumer goods at the expo. Consumer durable goods occupy the majority of the expo area and easily outnumber tourism concerns that are inadequately represented by the sparse presence of KTDC, ISRO, BIS, Coir Board and the Kerala Forest Department. These stalls are not often patronised by visitors and at most, the most patient of them spend a few minutes listening to the stall representatives. Only stalls promoting consumer vendible boast of a respectable number of visitors. The plan to promote cultural events of Kerala and other states also remains on paper, raising questions on whether expositions deliver what they appear to promote.
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