A large number of hawkers crowded the entry and exit points of the on-going month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025 in the capital Dhaka on Sunday, disrupting the easy movement of the visitors.
Organised by Bangla Academy, the fair accommodates a good number of food shops along with bookstalls on the academy premises and at Suhrawardy Udyan.聽聽聽聽聽
Littering from these temporary stalls, including street food shops, has turned the fair area into a dirty place.
Visiting the fair on Sunday, it was seen that a huge number of street hawkers were selling peanuts, jhal muri and cigarettes, which were officially banned, near entry points to the fair.
On the fair premises, visitors were seen dumping waste on the fairground and nearby walkways, which also pollute the environment.
Hassan Raqeeb Raj, chief executive of Dreamer Donkey, the event management company of the fair, said that the police tried to control the hawkers and cleaner teams were working throughout the fair hours to clean the area.
鈥榃e have also talked to the authorities of Ama Coffee and Polar about dust. The visitors, however, dump waste on the fairground,鈥� said Raqeeb Raj.
On the ninth day of the fair, a programme commemorating poet Makid Haider was held on the main stage of the fair.
Chaired by Monsur Musa, a commemorative discussion on Mohammad Moniruzzaman will be held on the main stage on Monday where Mashrur Imtiaz will present the keynote paper and Salma Nasrin and Mamun ur Rahid will speak.
Writers Abu Sayed Khan and Pavel Partha were present on the Lekhok Bolchhi stage at Suhrawardy Udyan on Sunday.
A total of 97 new titles were published on Sunday, raising the total number of books published at the fair to 608 so far, according to academy officials.
Out of 97 books, 31 were collections of poems and 28 were novels while eight were collections of short stories.
