The 2012 Delhi Auto Expo is still nine months away, which logically means that there is enough time to plan a grand display of India's prowess in the global automotive arena. Not everyone within the fraternity is, however, convinced if the venue, Pragati Maidan, is up to it for the challenge.

“If the 2010 Auto Expo is any indication, there is a lot to worry about this time around. Pragati Maidan looked as if it was ready to fall apart then and was clearly in dire need of an overhaul,” an automobile sector executive told Business Line . The biggest fear is that nothing has been remedied over the last 15 months which means the creaky infrastructure could be back to haunt the participants in 2012.

One of the biggest cribs about the Auto Expo is that there is just no space at Pragati Maidan to house car and two-wheeler companies as well as commercial vehicle makers and ancillary suppliers. This was manageable till a decade ago but with more and more companies throwing their hats into the ring, the bubble is ready to burst.

Separate venues?

According to sources, the best way going forward is to have separate venues for cars/bikes and trucks/component makers. In fact, there were talks of Noida, near Delhi, being the second spot for the Auto Expo but it is not clear if everyone was happy with the idea. By the end of the day, Pragati Maidan is right in the heart of Delhi and with all companies under one roof, networking is perceived to be a lot easier.

The other side of the picture is that this huge load of participants and the public is putting tremendous strain on the venue. The 2010 Expo is better remembered for the messy toilets, waste food packets strewn across the venue and, hooliganism among a section of visitors which had organisers worried about the safety of models posing with the vehicles.

“To think all this was happening in a country which is perceived as one of the fastest growing auto markets. Just compare this to Shanghai or Geneva and one will figure that India has miles to go when it comes to organising world-class auto shows,” an auto industry official said.

Move to another city?

In the case of Pragati Maidan, it is owned by the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation and, therefore, falls under the purview of the Government of India. In the process, there is little that the private sector can do to expedite the process of a complete revamp. The logical solution is to move elsewhere but getting that kind of space for an event like the Auto Expo is almost inconceivable in any other city.

Bangalore, for instance, is an ideal venue but cannot offer a Pragati Maidan-like structure. The same holds true for Chennai or Hyderabad. To even talk of Mumbai and space in the same breath is laughable and Pune just does not have the aura. “By the end of the day, there is really no alternative to Delhi. The only way out is to look at creating space in Gurgaon or Noida,” sources said.

Safety of women

In addition, dealing with the Expo authorities is a nightmare for companies, thanks to hurdles at every stage. During the 2010 show, as representatives were busy working around the clock to set up their stalls, they realised that there were no restrooms. “All were locked and this was especially difficult for some of the women. The only way out was to commute to our hotels to tide over the crisis,” an official recalled.

On the subject of women, some companies also ended up hiring bouncers to ensure that the models in their halls faced no physical abuse from crowds. “It was a tragic advertisement for the country's Capital that its women are never safe,” the official added.

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