Controversy Over The 2007 Fair
The 2007 fair has already attracted a lot of controversy over the Kolkata High Court decision banning fairs on the Maidan. The court granted the fair special permission for the year of 2005, and permission for "one last time" in the year 2006 to be held at Maidan, which has been the venue of the fair for the last 31 years. The Kolkata Book Fair was the only fair granted special permission in 2006. Despite the 2 years given to the fair organizers to find alternative venues, no progress was made till 2007, mainly due to the fact that Kolkata lacks a large convention center with modern facilities. An objection on the grounds of environmental damage was raised for the 2007 fair and it has drawn protest from various independent groups like the Save the Maidan. campaign. The High Court has forbidden Guild to hold the fair on Maidan.
A large part of the intellectuals, authors, editors, journalists and book lovers, including Sunil Gangopadhyay, Shirshendu Bandyopadhyay, Samaresh Majumder, Suchitra Bhattacharya, Buddhadev Guha, Mrinal Sen, the Mayor of Kolkata, turned up at the Maidan venue on January 31, the day of the inauguration of the fair, to protest the Kolkata High Court order banning the fair, and to symbolically inaugurate the Kolkata Book Fair. This was to show that the spirit of people supporting the fair cannot be killed.
The rescheduled Book Fair was held in Salt Lake City, a place located at the outskirts of Kolkata from February 9 up to February 25. With lesser space and lesser footfall, the 2007 fair was a moderate success at best. 2009 book fair at Milan Mela Maidan was a gala success. The figures published by the organizing committee indicates that.
In 2010 Inauguration Honarable Chief Minister of West Bengal Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya remarked
Some people are against the Book Fair in the name of environment.
Book fair is sponsored by publishers guild which is a business forum.
Read more about this topic: Kolkata Book Fair
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