The International Kolkata Book Fair was postponed by a month due to a surge in Covid-19 cases and municipal election, and now it will start from February 28, the organiser said on Monday.

The decision was made after consultation with the state government, President of Publishers and Book Sellers Guild Tridib Chatterjee told PTI.]

"The fair will be held for 12 days from February 28 as the covid situation has not yet improved much and the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation election is to be held on February 12," Chatterjee said.

The book fair, an immensely popular event, will be held at Central Park in Bidhannagar, close to Kolkata, in North 24 Parganas district. It was earlier scheduled to be held from January 31 to February 12 after failing to take off in 2021 due to the pandemic.

"We hope the situation will be more conducive in end-February and March," the Guild president said.

The book fair has Bangladesh as its theme country this year.

All guidelines of the state government would be complied with during the fair and each stall would be around 35 per cent smaller for keeping more open space on the ground to avoid crowding, Chatterjee had said earlier.