Defence exposition gets a new 150-acre Goa address to display warships, maritime items

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry has decided to shift its mega defence exposition that is attended by top global arms manufacturers to a permanent, seaside venue in Goa from Delhi’s Pragati Maidan and focus specially on the Navy, which is undergoing a major modernisation and expansion drive.

A 150-acre permanent complex is being built in Goa to host the show which attracts top firms from the US, Russia, Israel and Europe, defence ministry officials said.

“We have been in talks with Goa since 2012 when the ITPO ( Indian Trade Promotion Organisation) told us that Pragati Maidan would not be available as a new convention centre is coming up. Recently, the state government confirmed a 150 acre plot where we shall now create new infrastructure,” said a senior official.

The ministry is now pitching DefExpo 2016 as a major international exposition that is expected to attract manufacturers and buyers from across the world. The event could well clash with the popular Singapore Air Show, which is also scheduled in the third week of February, the dates proposed for DefExpo.

“Venues like Singapore and Dubai that are not even major buyers of defence equipment are the meeting point for customers and sellers around the world. We are going to create a world-class expo in Goa that will compete with these shows,” the official said.

The venue has been chosen carefully to ensure that warships and marine products can be displayed. India currently does not have any permanent venue for holding any defence exposition, let alone one with a marine focus.

Officials expressed confidence that a seaside venue can be readied by February. “The limitation of having an expo in Delhi was that there is no space for marine display. Now that the Navy is a major focus area, the new venue will enable greater participation of firms in the defence sector,” the official said.