Professor Joseph O Connell of the University of Toronto inaugurated the 10-day fair and termed the event as one of the best he has ever attended till date. State transport minister Subhas Chakraborty, Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, Chairman of Bidhannagar Municipality Biswajiban Majumdar and US Consul-General in Kolkata Henry Jardine also attended the inaugural ceremony.

Bhattacharya termed the holding of the book fair as a “resounding slap on the some people who tried to oppose it”.

Chakraborty said: “Even next year there will be attempts to get the book fair shifted from the stadium on pollution grounds. I appeal the Calcutta High Court not to listen to them.”

The court had twice debarred the organisers from holding the fair at Maidan and Park Circus Maidan on grounds of pollution.

Taking a dig on the petitioners who had filed the PILs, Chakraborty said vehicles plying around the Maidan create much more pollution.

Around 500 bookstalls and 200 magazine stalls have been set up in the fair.