Bidhannagar Mela ends, Central Park gets ready for book fair
Times of India | 7 January 2025
12 Kolkata: The Bidhannagar Fair Utsav, organised by the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC), ended on Monday. By Jan 9, the Publishers and Booksellers Guild is expecting to get hold of the fairground to start preparing for the Kolkata International Book Fair (KIBF), which is to start from Jan 28.
The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) is going to spruce up the infrastructure of the fairground. The authorities will set up 23 ramps to connect the fairground with the peripheral roads for the convenience of people with disabilities. "The fairground will be handed over to the guild within a few days," said a BMC official.
The state has sanctioned funding of Rs 1.7 crore to KMDA for setting up the ramps, constructing a new toilet block, and rejuvenating the existing defective fire prevention system within the fairground. "The toilet block inside the fairground needs to be refurbished to meet the standard of the book fair, which is an international event. The existing fire prevention system will also be revamped," said a KMDA official.
It has also been planned that the ring road moving around the Salt Lake Central Park fairground will be kept free from street artists and vendors to ensure smooth dispersal of vehicles during the book fair. The pathways will also be repaired.
Additionally, the ground adjacent to Unnayan Bhavan and opposite the fairground will be cleaned up by removing weeds to make space for parking of cars and two-wheelers.
BMC, on their part, will be in charge of daily cleaning and sweeping of the fair premises. Waste bins will be placed at strategic points, and the daily generated waste will be collected.