Gaya (Bihar), Sept 22 : Business has been severely hit in Gaya in Bihar due to a sharp fall in the number of people turning up for the annual fair, organised during the fortnight- long ceremonies to pay tribute to forefathers.

The fair has seen less participation this year that has adversely affected the sale of different products.

Traders and shopkeepers say that earlier a lot of people used to come here from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal but this year there has been a sharp decline in their number.

“Due to floods in Bihar, less number of people has turned up this year. This has severely hit our business,” aid Chhote Lal, shopkeeper.

Traders who put in a lot of money in their business are now going through a tough time.

“Earlier hundreds of thousands of people used to come for this Bihar fair. This time less than 10,000 to 20,000 people have turned up because of floods on one hand and drought on the other,” said Bhola Nath Pathak, a priest.

Monsoon rains and flooded rivers have brought huge devastation across South Asia this year, killing more than 1100 people, mostly in India.

The Kosi river, which burst a dam in Nepal, has heaped massive suffering on millions of people in downstream Bihar. Water levels were now receding there.

But millions were living on embankments, roads and in overcrowded camps in filthy conditions, exposed to infections and water-borne diseases.

The monsoon usually hits India on June 1 and retreats in September, and is a key to irrigating some 60 per cent of farmland. But it leaves in its wake massive destruction, killing hundreds of people, destroying homes, crops, roads and bridges every year. (ANI)