Bidhannagar Mela (Utsav) begins next Friday, December 20. Minister Firhad Hakim would inaugurate it at 4pm in the presence of other politicians. The fair would continue till January 9, 2pm to 9pm.

“This fair has grown to great heights and visitors troop in from around the state to shop,” said mayor Krishna Chakraborty, who is the president of the fair committee.

There would be a total of 547 stalls this year, slightly more than last year. They would sell saris, jewellery, furniture, home decor items etc. Sixteen international stalls would be occupied by vendors from Malaysia, Ghana and China besides regulars like Egypt, Turkey, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Last year, there were allegations against some Bangladeshi sari stalls passing off Burrabazar fare as

Jamdanis from Dhaka. “This time we are allowing only stall-keepers who furnish their business or work visas to ensure authenticity,” said mayor-in-council Rajesh Chirimar, who is the general secretary of the fair.

There will be 29 stalls from Kashmir too, selling shawls, stoles, kahwa tea etc. “Vendors from Kashmir were facing some problems getting their items down, what with the state of affairs back home. They had appealed to us for early allotment of space so they could make arrangements and we did so,” added Chirimar. “Then again, some Kashmiri vendors are in town from before, participating in Sabola Mela and the like. They already have their products at hand.”

Mayor Krishna Chakraborty (second from right) with other members of the fair committee at Poura Bhavan on Wednesday (Telegraph photo)

The fair has eight government stalls, 11 self-help group stalls, 30 food stalls and those from states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha. “The kids’ play area this time will be spread over two zones. This is mainly to make optimum use of the added space of the fairgrounds,” said Chirimar, referring to the eviction of encroachers from a portion of the grounds before the Book Fair in 2017.

“Previously the fair could be accessed by three gates whereas it has now extended to five gates. Gate 5 will lead to the parking lot. There will be another parking lot before gate 1,” said Chirimar. As for security measures, there will be CCTVs installed and metal detectors at entrances.

“Not just customers, we also care about the well-being of vendors and as per their request have slashed the rates of hiring stalls,” said Chakraborty. From Rs 230 per square foot for stalls last year, the rates have been revised to Rs 200 this year. Pavilion space has reduced from Rs 200 to 175 and kiosk rates from Rs 26,000 to 18,000.

Councillor Anindya Chatterjee, in charge of the cultural sub-committee, said stage shows would start every day at 5pm. “There would be dance programmes by Sapphire Creations, plays and even a jatra titled Ganga Putra Bhishma on December 22. There would be events to commemorate the 200th birth anniversary of Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar and the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first President of Bangladesh. For the latter, we are in talks with the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission to arrange artistes from the neighbouring country,” said Chatterjee.

There will be musical tributes to Salil Chowdhury, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, Manna Dey, and RD Burman-Kishore Kumar. Bollywood singer Akriti Kakkar is expected to perform on December 30. Chakraborty however specified that local talent would also get its 15 seconds of fame.

“This stage is a big one and many local children and artistes request a chance to perform here. We shall prioritise them over outsiders,” said the mayor. The fair’s dog show will be held on January 5 at the municipal sports grounds.

News of Rabindra Bhavan

Chakraborty also shared an update of Rabindra Bhavan, the auditorium cum research centre that is supposed to come up in FE Block with funds raised from this fair.

“I had thought that at least one floor of the centre, that the chief minister has christened Rabindra Angan, would have opened by now but it had run into problems. The piling was done without adequate permission,” said Chakraborty. “We are rectifying the paperwork and the tender would be passed soon after. Bengal respects its artistes and we shall soon complete this centre named after our greatest artiste yet,” the mayor said.