GUWAHATI: The All Assam Fair and Entertainment Owners' Welfare Association today, on October 27, held a press conference at Guwahati urging the Government to resume fairs and melas, and provide financial support to fair companies.
Assam has about 50 mobile fair companies, which organise melas and other such entertainment events. Each company has about 50 permanent employees. Furthermore, many vendors, small businesses and locals of areas where the mobile fairs are held are also associated with the business.
"About 40,000 to 50,000 people of the middle class are directly and indirectly dependent on mobile fairs as their main source of livelihood. The closure of these melas due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the past two years have immensely impacted our earnings," the President of the Association Nirmal Chandra Sarma said.
The Association has urged the Government to grant them the permission to organise melas as this is the main season, from September to December.
"The Government has permitted mobile theatres and other activities. We have seen people violating protocols after the Durga puja celebrations were allowed. But in case of fairs, there are fixed boundaries and our people will ensure that COVID-19 protocols are strictly adhered to," the Association said.
"We met with the Minister of Cultural Affairs Bimal Borah earlier this month and submitted a memorandum to the Directorate of Cultural Affairs as directed by the Minister. We have even vowed to follow all protocols strictly. However, it has been one month since then and we have not received any response yet," they added.
The All Assam Fair and Entertainment Owners' Welfare Association has also demanded that the Government provide relief to the individual fair companies and permit the resumption of fairs and melas for this season, especially during the upcoming Kali Puja and Raas Purnima.
"Otherwise it has become very difficult for our stakeholders to survive after being unemployed for over two years, " Sarma said.
