The World Book Fair being organised at Pragati Maidan has seen a steady stream of visitors since it opened on January 6 showing that even with digital advances in the publishing world, book fairs have not lost their charm.
However, several publishers have hit out at the arrangements this year as the fair is being conducted at Pragati Maidan, which is currently undergoing major renovation. Due to lack of halls, the organisers have set up temporary hangars for the stalls.
Publisher Surit Mitra said that this year, the organisers have charged more for setting up stalls but have not made proper arrangements.
“My stall is in one of the temporary hangars. Water was dripping from the ceiling on the first day and all our books were soiled,” said Mr. Mitra.
No space
Sanjita Mazumdar, chief operating officer of Overleaf Books LLP, said that with several stalls being allotted in hangars, publishers have few visitors at their stalls.
“At this book fair, there is an issue of safety. There is no space. We are paying high costs for the stalls without getting any facilities. In my opinion, we should have had the fair book fair after the place had been properly set up,” she added.
Preeti Kohli, owner of Kohli Distributions, also faced problems regarding charges for her stall.
“We have not been provided with space inside the halls despite paying for it. We have been given stalls in a tent instead, which has poor sanitation. Water drips from the roof, due to which the books get damaged. Moreover, our regular customers are facing difficulty locating us,” she added.
Visitors and stall owners have also complained about the amount of dust in the area due to construction.
Nagaraj Krishnan from Harper Collins said, “One of the main concerns is pollution. Because of the construction, there is dust everywhere. The halls are tightly crammed. Even the public has faced inconvenience due to lack of proper food courts, drinking water facilities and washrooms.”
Small publishers
Smaller publishers have also complained about being pushed to the hangars despite being promised space in permanent halls.
“The bigger publishers are in cemented halls, whereas smaller Indian publishers are in these hangers where very few people come. For small publishers like us, the most important part of the book fair is that new customers discover us, which has not been possible this time,” said Sayoni Basu from Duck Bill Books.
