‘We’ll continue our fight to bring book fair back to Maidan’

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Sabyasachi Bandopadhyay

Posted online: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 at 12:00:00
Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 at 02:13:09

Kolkata, January 1 Q. Have you reconciled yourself to Park Circus Maidan as the permanent venue for the fair?

A. Not at all. It is just because we had no other option left. But we will continue to fight to come back to the Maidan. The Maidan cannot be compared with any other ground for holding this event. It is spread over an area of 12-lakh sq ft, while at Park Circus Maidan, we are getting only 5.5 lakh square feet. As a result, we can set up only 550 stalls at the latter as against the capacity of 800 at the former.

Q. Will you move court to bring the fair back to Maidan?

.A. We will go everywhere — the state government, the central government, the courts — We will try to convince people that the fair will be organised in an eco-friendly way.

We will give undertaking (in this regard). We don’t intend to harm the environment.

Q. What are the measures have you taken up to make the fair environment friendly?

A. We have set up a 10-member committee comprising seven environmentalists and three guild officials to advise us on environmental matters. The committee has recommended banning food stalls, regularly spraying water on the ground during the fair, banning of car parking inside the ground among others. We will implement the suggestions.

Q. The government is constructing Milan Mela, the permanent fair ground near by-pass. Are you keen on shifting the event there?

A. Not at all. First, it has only 3-lakh sq ft of area. Secondly, it is quite far away from the heart of Kolkata. We are not game for going there.

We have the connoisseurs of books of this city with us, with their co-operation and best wishes we hope we will be back to the Maidans again next year.

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