Publishers get another day to get stalls ready at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair

Some stalls at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair were still being given the finishing touches on the second day despite Jan 27 being the deadline to have them ready.

Even the Bangla Academy was yet to fully arrange sprinklers to keep down the dust, install adequate lights, set up the media centre, and build temporary toilets.

The giant screens and illumination the Bangla Academy had promised around the fair were not yet in place.

But academy officials hoped to complete the pending work within a day.

Publishers who are yet to have their stalls ready have been given another day to complete the work.

“Action will be taken against them from Wednesday, if they fail,” fair organising committee Member Secretary Jalal Ahmed told bdnews24.com.

Dust hung heavy and the crowd was thin on the fair’s second day.

Visitors felt the fair was still somewhat disorganised. “It seems it will take some more time to get into stride,” said Afzal Hossain, a private firm employee.

But the security arrangement at the entry points was striking. Every visitor’s bags were checked before being allowed to enter.

No affected accent, please

Information Minister Hasnul Haq Inu appealed to FM radio presenters, radio jockeys and members of the media not to speak Bangla in an affected or distorted accent.

He said this while inaugurating the stall of the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Tuesday, the second day of the fair.

“The Ekushey Book Fair is independent of the government and serves as a meeting place for Bengalis. It so happens that pro-Liberation War forces are in power at present. I appeal to everyone to come to the fair, read books and encourage others,” he said.