The terror of the highly transmissible infection of coronavirus strikes again as the world-famous Pushkar Fair stands on the verge of cancellation due to it. Monetarily affecting the tourism stakeholders in the state, the gloom of cancellation also dulls the celebrations of the festive season this year.

Ongoing pandemic leads to cancellation of Pushkar mela!

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Pushkar Fair, the carnival of the most popular and largest cattle fair in the world, is a nine-day event which was catalogued to commence from November 22 this year. But the fear of coronavirus and its rapid spread have overshadowed the festivities of the Pushkar Mela, which are otherwise marked by the trading of thousands of camels and horses. With the absence of any official statement by the authorities that confirm so, the fair poses a bleak chance of being organised this year.

A senior Tourism Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told sources that despite the official word over the affirmation of the event, the fair stands cancelled in all probability in tandem with the advisory issued by the Home Department. "The advisory limits the gathering of people to 100, in any event, being organised in the state," said the official, adding, "There will be a challenge to limit the number of people coming in from different villages if the fair is organised and hence it is difficult to give the go-ahead to the event." We have asked the Animal Husbandry Department to call a meeting so that official information on the fair can be disseminated."

Sanjay Kaushik, a tour operator, said, "Pushkar fair is one of the largest cattle fairs in the world. Apart from the buying and selling of livestock, it has emerged as an important tourist attraction where villagers from across the state come to set their stalls, sell and buy cattle and make money. Competitions such as the 'matka phod', 'longest moustache' and 'bridal competition' are the main draws for this fair which have been attracting thousands of tourists." He further went on to say, ''Sadly, this year shall not be the same for them. Even the tourism shall suffer for this event earned annual livelihood for many stakeholders."

-With Inputs from IANS