Pictured, the Convention Centre New Delhi City Centre
The Indian government has cleared roadblocks to the creation of a new convention center that officials expect to compete on a scale like that found in Hannover, Germany, and Shanghai when it is completed. The facility, called the Integrated Exhibition-cum-Convention Center (IECC), is planned for a 90-hectare tract of land in Dwarka in southwest Delhi, and officials say it will contain exhibition halls, convention centers, banquet halls, an arena, financial centers, hotels, dining, and retail outlets within its campus.
The venue will be among the biggest in Asia, planners say, and will be within 15 minutes of an international airport. Though an exact square footage has not been announced, authorities say they expect the facility to be a catalyst to industrial development and a tool for gaining ground on economic development in the city.
The current exhibition venue, which is located in the Pragati Maidan area, is marked by space constraints and traffic congestion that officials say are impeding the nation’s growth in the convention and meeting industry. Though leaders originally said they expected the venue to open by 2020, they have extended the timeline indefinitely after the project faced approval challenges from the Indian government last year.
