Exorbitant charges for book fair: Auto fare charts to be put up for visitors at the venue

The visitors of 47th International Kolkata Book Fair, which is going to be held from January 18 to 31 at Boimela Prangan in Salt Lake, will be able to lodge their complaint through a helpline number provided at auto stand near the location in case auto drivers charge exorbitant fares.

The state Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty on Wednesday said that like bus fare charts are displayed at Karunamoyee Bus Stand, which is located beside Boimela Prangan, the department had decided to display auto fare charts at auto stand and on prangan’s gates. The charts will also have a helpline number, which the visitors can contact in case auto drivers demand extra fare and accordingly action will be taken.

Chakraborty said that last year there were complaints of increased auto fares being charged, hence the department has come up with the solution. Apart from auto fare chart, app cab services will be provided from a spot which the department will identify with the help of Bidhannagar Police.

“Our aim is that no visitor should face any transport related problems while travelling to and from the book fair. There will be control rooms as well as West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) officials will also remain present at the spot to ensure the same,” Transport minister said.

The organisers of the book fair, the Publishers and Booksellers’ Guild president Tridib Chatterjee said that they are trying to fix the mobile network issue which was a common complaint from the visitors. They are in dialogue with a service provider to settle the matter. “It is all interconnected. If the internet does not work, then people will find it troublesome to book cabs as well. We are trying to fix the problem,” Chatterjee said.

Like last year, additional bus services will be plied. At least 200 additional buses will be plied to different locations, including Sealdah and Howrah Railway station, Thakurpukur, Baruipur, Barasat, Dankuni, Belgachia, Jadavpur and Barrackpore among others. The Transport minister said that since six days of the fair falls on holidays, they are expecting more crowds this year. Last year, 26 lakh people visited the book fair.

Furthermore, buses will remain available till 10 pm to ensure that staff and people associated with the fair are able to return home safely. The timing for the book fair is 12 pm to 8 pm. There will also remain some reserved buses, like last year, for emergency situations.