LAHORE, Feb 1: The handicraft exhibition outside the Roshnai Gate of the Lahore Fort has been hit by ill panning. Most of the 60 or so stalls were found vacant during a visit to the exhibition on Tuesday evening.

Fort grid officials of the Lesco were installing an electricity transformer there on what they said 'emergency basis' while most traders were busy either in decorating their enclosures or bringing in goods.

Organized by the Ravi Town municipal administration in collaboration with the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab in connection with the Jashan-i-Baharan, the exhibition was inaugurated by Punjab Minister for Tourism Mian Aslam Iqbal on Monday night.

A number of traders and owners of the makeshift eateries told this reporter that the exhibition had been organized in a haphazard way. "The organizers first asked us to pay Rs1,500 a day in advance for a 9x9 feet space and sell the goods at rates cheaper than those of the nearby markets.

When we expressed reservations the organizers brought down the rent to Rs1,000," some traders said. Another group of shopkeepers said they were requested by some officials of the Ravi Town municipal administration to display goods and the rent issue had yet to be settled.

The men on the stall of a multinational company said they had paid nothing for the space. The TMA officials present there said items like clothes, shawl, bed sheets, traditional handicraft and musical instruments would be displayed at the exhibition which would continue till Feb 10.

They said enclosures had also been reserved for traditional arts and artisans at work. They were optimistic that the exhibition would attract a number of visitors, especially foreigners, during the Basant celebrations scheduled for Feb 6-7.