The West Bengal Pollution Control Board has asked the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, the organisers of Kolkata Book Fair, to ensure that all pollution-related norms are complied with.
The board has also requested them to obtain a “written undertaking from all the participants” that they will abide by the norms.
The 10-day fair opens on January 18.
A letter, dated January 9, from PCB member secretary Rajesh Kumar to guild president Tridib Chatterjee, asks the guild to undertake “regular sprinkling of water in the fair premises to reduce emission of dust/particulate matter”. It also asked the organisers to abide by the provisions of solid waste and plastic waste related rules of 2016
and noise norms of 2000.
Metro has a copy of the letter. “You are also requested to take written undertaking from all the participants like publishers, book shop owners and other participants to abide by the provisions of above-mentioned rules and their subsequent amendments thereafter,” the letter reads.
“We have yet to receive the letter but we will comply with the environmental norms as specified,” said Chatterjee.
He said they would install sound limiters.
“We have already decided to shift all the cooking close to the swimming pool following the advice of mayor Firhad Hakim,” Chatterjee said.
Green platform Sabuj Mancha had earlier urged PCB to issue guidelines to Guild.