City Desk :
Birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and golden jubilee of independence will be the main theme of Amar Ekushey Granthamela 2021 to be inaugurated on March 18.
Member Secretary of Amar Ekushey Book Fair organising committee Dr Jalal Ahmed said a total of 522 publishing houses will take part in the book fair this year while there will be 817 units and 33 pavilions.
Stall allocation was held through lottery in digital method likewise the previous years while the government reduced the fare of stalls a half to give stimulus, he added.
Stall arrangement has been made on both sides of the Swadhinata Stambha (Independence Monument) on the Suhrawardy Udyan part of the fair keeping the monument in the middle.
As there is possibility of rain and storm during the 28-day long fair, four emergency shelter centers will set up on Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan premises.
The visitors will have to maintain health guidelines properly to enter the fair premises while there will be arrangement of hand washing and sanitization. There will be an entry-point and parking arrangement beside Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) for the first time. The fair will have four entry points.
A meeting has been held with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner to ensure security and maintaining discipline in the fair.
The book fair will end on April 14. Though the month-long fair is usually held on February commemorating the 1952 Language Movement, this year the fair has been delayed in the wake of the Corona pandemic.
Dr Jalal Ahmed said the special arrangement for children tiled “Shishu Prahor” in the fair would be postponed this year in view of the virus outbreak.
Visitors will not be allowed to enter the fair without wearing facemasks. The fair will remain open from 3pm to 8pm every day except holidays and weekends. During the weekends, the fair will begin at 11am and end at 8am.
