Hardly 100 visitors at the Book Fair

The Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2021 is witnessed only a few hundred visitors at the very first day of nationwide week-long lockdown and the law enforcers in charge of security of the fair have given up being sincere about their job.  

Visiting the fair premises, The Report saw more than ten stalls remain closed and most of the stalls which were dilapidated by yesterday’s sudden storm have not been repaired yet.

Law enforcers seen spending idle hours at the Book Fair on the first day of the week-long movement restricton. | Credit: The Report

The law enforcers in charge of security of the fair were seen inactive; they were chit-chatting dividing into different groups around the premises.

For most of the time the entrances were seen empty while visiting the fair premises. 

Abdul Baten Bhuiyan, Manager of Genius Publications, said the report that he is anxious about the imminent financial loss due to the sudden decline in the number of buyer and the visitors. 

“There is no buyer whom you see are none but the sellers.”

Shafiqul Islam Shakil, a third-year student of Dhaka University, came to visit the fair in order to buy few needful books to read throughout the ongoing lockdown. He told The Report that he was certain that there wouldn’t be a lot of visitors and so he considered visiting the fair could be safer than pre-lockdown days. 

“I haven’t faced any difficulties throughout my way to the fair as I paid my visit maintaining the health protocol,” he continued.  

“No visitors were checked out meticulously which had been executed in the previous book fair,” he claimed.

Sazzadur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner of Ramna police, said that book fair authority holds the responsibility of checking visitors physically, we only cooperate them in running the fair smoothly. Many police members are doing their duty sincerely at the fair premises.

“We are in hazardous situation, the law enforcers are saying about the withdrawal of police from the special fair duty,” Habibullah Siraji, Director of Bangla Academy told The Report. 

“Besides the ANSERs and the volunteers are not willing to carry their job on anymore,” he added.