“It is very unfortunate that there are voices in the city against the Kolkata Book Fair. They have all the right to fight for the environment but they do not have the right to be up in arms against the book fair. In 2008, the fair could not be organised because of them. Our future generations will judge who benefited from it,” said Bhattacharjee, while speaking at the inaugural function of the Kolkata Book Fair.

Referring to the 1997 fire that almost forced the Kolkata Book fair to call curtains, the CM said: “That was an accident, but I cannot accept city environmentalists raise their voice against the book fair.” The Publishers and Booksellers Guild, the organiser of the fair, paid Rs 37 lakh to the Milon Mela authorities though the latter had demanded Rs 62 lakh as rental charges.

“The Milon Mela authorities demanded Rs 62 lakh while the rent last year was Rs 37 lakh. We spoke to the CM and Commerce and Industry Minister Nirupam Sen. On their intervention, the Milon Mela authorities agreed to Rs 37 lakh as rent,” said Tridib Chatterjee, general secretary, Publishers and Booksellers Guild.