About 200 CCTV cameras installed at 47th Int’l Kolkata Book Fair for security

KOLKATA: More than 200 CCTV cameras have been installed in and around the 47th International Kolkata Book Fair, which begins at Boimela Prangan, Salt Lake on January 18 for security purposes. Also, there will be sufficient police deployment, fire tenders, bikes, and fire service personnel, including firefighters, to ensure safety measures are in place for the bibliophiles.

For the first time, the Publishers & Booksellers Guild has also taken a step to give back to the environment. The Guild will be organising a tree plantation ceremony during the book fair.

“We use a lot of paper as book publishers, which means cutting down many trees. For the first time, we’re conducting a tree plantation drive during the book fair to give back to the environment,” said Tridib Chatterjee, Guild president.

With just one day left for the book fair to kick off, Guild members were on the ground overseeing last-minute preparations on Tuesday. This year’s book fair will feature 1,000 stalls from various book publishers and little magazines, the highest participation till date.

On January 18 at 4 pm, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the fair along with other distinguished guests, including Alex Ellis CMG, British High Commissioner in India, Alison Barrett MBE, Country Director British Council, and celebrated author Bani Basu at Boimela Prangan.

Basu will be honoured with a lifetime felicitation, the Dr Rama Prasad Goenka CESC Sristi Samman 2024, valued at Rs 2 lakh, during the inaugural ceremony. This year, with the UK as the theme country, the book fair will celebrate UK Day on January 19.

“Around 20 countries, including the USA, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Peru, Colombia and others will participate in the fair. In the Bangladesh pavilion, there will be around 50 publishers. Also, Bangladesh Day will be celebrated on January 20,” said Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, Honorary General Secretary, Guild at the press conference.

Meanwhile, Metro will run services on Sundays in the East-West Corridor for the book fair. Metro will run additional services from Monday to Saturday during the fair, which will be held till January 31. However, despite the enhanced transportation options, parking remains a persistent challenge for book enthusiasts.

“We’ve had several meetings, and the government has sent letters to Bikash Bhavan, HSBC Bank, and other government organisations near Karunamoyee to permit parking on holidays. So, we believe parking cars won’t be much of a problem,” said Chatterjee.