The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) has written to the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, asking it to ensure “strict compliance with environmental norms” at the International Kolkata Book Fair, which was inaugurated by the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, on January 30, 2023.
The guild has been asked to send an action-taken report to the Pollution Control Board by February 15.
The order was passed after Sabuj Mancha urged the PCB to take urgent measures against the use of plastic carry bags and violation of noise norms reported during previous book fairs.
“PCB has written to the guild urging it to comply with the norms of plastic carry bags, noise pollution control and overall management of garbage being generated at the fair. Our officials will visit the fair ground to see if these norms are being followed,” said state environment minister Manas Bhunia.
The PCB directive, a copy of which is with The Plurals, addressed to the secretary of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, which organises the Book Fair, reads “Please ensure … plastic carry bags above 120 microns thickness are used within the Boimela Prangan (and) no use of single use plastic cutlery and thermocol for decoration within the venue of the fair must be maintained,” and also asked it to take an undertaking from all stall holders in the fair stating compliance.
The PCB has also directed “The sound systems (to be used within the venue of the fair) to be fitted with sound limiters" and “The organisers need to place sufficient numbers of waste bins across the venue”. The green watchdog has also asked the guild to ensure suppression of dust within the fairground using regular sweeping and sprinkling of water.
Guild passes the buck
“We have asked the agency responsible for setting up microphones to maintain the noise limits; and are also trying to discourage the use of plastic carry bags by promoting bags manufactured from textile etc” said Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, general secretary of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild.
Dey, however, avoided commenting on specific directives being passed by the board. “Are these norms being maintained elsewhere in the city or state?” asked a senior guild official clearly exasperated by the PCB directive.
“A few days ago, we sent letters to the PCB and various other administrative authorities urging strict maintenance of the environmental norms at the fair. We are happy that PCB has finally sent its directive, but we fear unless strict monitoring is conducted, the directive will remain on paper,” said Naba Dutta, secretary of green civil society platform Sabuj Mancha.
“We have been setting up stalls at the Book Fair for over two decades and have experienced that even in the last few years, around 90 per cent of the stalls provide thin plastic carry bags and do not comply with noise norms,” said a stall owner to The Plurals. Around 950 stalls have been set up at the ongoing fair.
“The existing terms and conditions of the guild do not include environmental norms and they should consider adding those in future after the PCB directive. They should also announce the norms directed by the PCB through the public address system so that both the stall owners and visitors are aware and try to follow the same,” Dutta said.
Meanwhile, Sabuj Mancha said on Tuesday they would be carrying out a civil society monitoring of the fair and submit their report to the authorities.
“The guild should keep in mind that once the fair was shifted away from the ground adjacent to Victoria Memorial on environmental issues and hence must comply with the green norms during the ongoing and future fairs,” said an environmentalist.
“This is a quasi-judicial order as the directives are either in accordance with existing judicial orders, or reiteration of norms already being issued,” said a senior PCB official.
