Ekushey Book Fair to begin 25 Feb, stall rent remitted

Book publishers will not have to pay rent for reserving stalls in the Amar Ekushey Book Fair, which begins 25 February, Cultural Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury announced at a meeting on Wednesday night.

Prime Minister Tareque Rahman will inaugurate the book fair, and the Ekushey Padak will be announced the following day, meeting sources said.

The newly elected minister made the announcements at a views exchange meeting, which he convened with publishers and others concerned at the Bangla Academy on his first day in office.

Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam, Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam and Bangla Academy Secretary Md Selim Reza also took part in the meeting.

In the meeting, it was also decided that publishers can apply for booking a stall until 3pm Wednesday. The stall will be formally allotted through a lottery at 6pm.

During the interim government’s tenure, book publishers expressed strong reservations at the decision to arrange the book fair in Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting.

Very few people would visit the fair as most would likely be fasting in day-time, and attending prayers in the night, the publishers said.

The low turnout could cause major financial losses, they had said.

On Wednesday, they welcomed the decision to remit stall rents saying the move would reduce financial losses.