Hyderabad, Numaish, the popular annual trade fair of Hyderabad, has been suspended till January 10 in view of the curbs imposed by Telangana government to check the spread of Covid-19.

Authorities on Sunday night ordered closure of Numaish, a day after it was inaugurated by Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and state Home Minister Mahmood Ali.

Hundreds of visitors were at the fair when officials stopped the ticket bookings and ordered all those who were in Exhibition Grounds to leave immediately.

About 10,000 people visited the exhibition from Sunday afternoon till night when authorities ordered the All India Industrial Exhibition Society (AIIES) to close it.

The action was taken in view of the state government extending restrictions to check the spread of Covid-19 till January 10. The government has prohibited rallies, public meetings and mass gatherings of all types, including religious, political and cultural.

The 45-day long annual exhibition was inaugurated on January 1 and the first day saw lukewarm response from visitors.

The AIIES, which has been organising the fair for 80 years, had put in place various measures to adhere to Covid-19 safety rules like compulsory wearing of masks, maintaining social distance, and vaccination of all stall owners.

The organisers had allotted 1,600 stalls to traders and various business organisations from different parts of the country to sell their products at the fair.

The exhibition could not be held last year due to Covid-19 situation. This was only the third time in its history that it could not be held.

Numaish-e-Masnuaat-e-Mulki, or Numaish in short, made a humble beginning in 1938 as an event to promote locally produced goods.

The fair begins on January 1 every year and continues for 45 days. Traders from various parts of the country set up their stalls during the exhibition, which is visited by 45,000 people every day. Over 20 lakh visitors had visited the exhibition in 2019.

A unique blend of economy and culture, the event is organised on the sprawling grounds and revenues from the fair are spent on a group of educational and charitable institutions run by the Society.