Book fair a muddy affair for stalls despite high rents

Kolkata: Despite tall claims made by the Publishers & Booksellers Guild (PBG) of spending around Rs 40 lakh to level the slushy ground of Milan Mela before holding the 33rd Kolkata Book Fair, the ground still remains muddy with potholes at various places.
The publishers and the booksellers are paying the hiked ground rent, as the PBG justified the rise in the rent by claiming that it would have to spend a lot more to prepare the ground for the fair.
The guild has charged at least 10-20 per cent more per square feet as ground rent than what it used to in Maidan and Salt Lake stadium. Heavy vehicles like water tankers or fire engines are finding it difficult to move on the slushy ground.
On the other hand, the guild members have been maintaining a nonchalant attitude over this issue.
“We have spent around Rs 40 lakh for levelling the ground. The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation is solely responsible for this kind of an infrastructure,” said Sudhanshu Dey, ground manager, PBG.
On Thursday, a water tanker was about to overturn while passing through a narrow lane in the fair ground. The accident was, however, averted but the vehicle got stuck in the muddy ground with its wheels stuck in the ground.
“We do not know how we will manage our losses this year for having a stall in this fair ground. Forget about any profit, we apprehend making losses. As of now, our sales are very low in comparison to previous years,” said Samir Dey, marketing manager, Allied Publisher.
“Last year, we paid around Rs 36,000 for the stall. This year we have paid around Rs 42,000 for the stall, though the size of the stall does not differ from the previous year’s stall. We are paying more for a poorer infrastructure than we had last year,” said a representative of Ananda Publishers