The parking lots of the state government’s office buildings, that skirt the Boi Mela Prangan in Salt Lake’s Central Park, be left open to park visitors’ cars, organisers of the International Calcutta Book fair have appealed to the state government.
The venue for the 47th edition of the Book Fair at Karunamoyee in Salt Lake is hemmed by several buildings of various departments of the state government, including Jal Sampad Bhavan, Unnayan Bhavan and Bikash Bhavan. Purta Bhavan stands at a distance.
All these buildings have dedicated parking lots for their officials and outsiders aren’t allowed.
At a recent meeting with officials of the urban development department, which maintains Central Park, senior officials from the Publishers and Booksellers Guild requested their counterparts to allow visitors to use the parking lots on holidays when the offices remain shut.
“Parking of cars remains a challenge and we need to find more space around the book fair venue,” said Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, the Guild’s general secretary.
“We have urged the state government if the parking lots of the offices can be left open for the visitors on holidays. The existing parking facility in an open space adjoining the urban development department’s building is inadequate.”
The book fair will begin on January 18 and continue till 31. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the fair.
The last edition of the fair witnessed about 26 lakh visitors and book lovers turning up at the fair and sales worth Rs 25 crore were scripted, Guild officials said.
More stalls
A team of Guild officials visited the venue earlier last week with architects to firm up the layout plan with two huge hangers and nine gates covering the entire fairground.
“We have decided to cull out space to accommodate more stalls. Several publishers, many of them relatively new to the world of book publishing, have requested a small space at the fair. We will not let them down,” Dey said.
“Against last year’s stall count of around 700, we hope to add another 100 this year by making adjustments in the size of big and medium stalls.”
A separate 200 stalls will remain dedicated for the little magazine publishers this year at the fair venue, Guild officials added.