No pavilions at Amar Ekushey Book Fair

Authorities have decided to exclude pavilions from the Amar Ekushey Book Fair following a meeting with publishers’ representatives.

The meeting was held at the Shaheed Munier Chowdhury Auditorium of Bangla Academy on Sunday evening.

The meeting was attended by State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Nawaz Mahmud Khayyam, Cultural Affairs Secretary Md Mofidur Rahman, Director General of Bangla Academy Prof Mohammad Azam, and the academy’s Secretary Md Selim Reza.

According to decisions taken at the meeting, publishers who had previously been allotted pavilions have agreed to dismantle them, with support from the Bangladesh Publishers and Booksellers Association (BAPUS).

Meanwhile, the lottery for stall allocation among publishers who applied by February 19 was held at 10:00pm yesterday (Sunday). Publishers are expected to begin constructing their stalls from February 23.

Earlier, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs announced a full waiver of stall fees for this year’s fair.

The Amar Ekushey Book Fair is scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at 2:00pm on February 26.