State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid has said that a new decision will be taken on the Amar Ekushey Book Fair if number of Covid-19 cases increase in Bangladesh.
He made the statement at a press conference, organized to mark the inauguration of the book fair on March 18, at Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad Auditorium of Bangla Academy on Tuesday.
The state minister said: “Life comes first. If the Covid-19 infection situation reaches such a level that there is no more opportunity to run the fair, then we have to make a new decision.
A worker carries out preparations for the upcoming book fair. The government has urged to wear masks and follow health guidelines at the event | Focus Bangla“The decision might not be pleasant for all but we have to do it to curb the spread of the infection. However, we hope that the situation does not worsen to that level.”
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner (crime and operations) Krishnapad Roy urged everyone to come to the fair following the health guidelines.
“This year's book fair is being held amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. So, those who will come to the fair must wear masks. They will be able to sanitize their hands in front of all the gates of the fair," said the additional commissioner at a press conference at the DMP's temporary police camp in Suhrawardy Udyan on Tuesday.
He also said: “There is no threat of sabotage or attack on publishers at the book fair. However, keeping the past in mind, we have increased our surveillance.
“We are monitoring for all kind of suspicious acts and will take appropriate action if any unwanted incident is reported.”
The book fair was postponed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic last year | Focus BanglaThe book fair will have three levels of security. In addition to the deployment of adequate uniformed police, police in plain clothes will also be on duty. Moreover, there will be CCTV, archways, intelligence agencies, Detective Branch teams, mobile and foot patrol teams on full-time duty, he added.
On December 10, 2020, in its executive council meeting, the organizing committee took the decision to postpone the book fair, beginning from March 18 to April 14, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Ekushey Book Fair is organized every year by the Bangla Academy, dedicating the event to the Language Movement martyrs of 1952.
Though the fair was started by Muktodhara Publishing house on February 21, 1972, on the Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day, it was taken over by the academy in 1978 and named Amar Ekushey Book Fair in 1984.
