The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025 was opened on Saturday covering the Bangla Academy premises and a large area of Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka city amid mismanagement with preparations at the venues still going on.
Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus inaugurated the fair that also featured an award giving ceremony for the winners of the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2024.聽
A tour of the fairground found nearly 80 per cent stalls still not ready on the opening day, while some of the stall owners and salespersons complained that they were not given the entry passes necessary for the day since entry was restricted on the opening day due to the 鈥榁VIP movement鈥�.聽聽聽
Nor were the walkways at Suhrawardy Udyan ready on the day, which is done by brick soiling to allow the fairgoers to move between the bookstalls comfortably.
In the Suhrawardy Udyan part of the fair, stall building materials were seen strewn about the areas where stall owners were seen busy with their work, while more than one makeshift hardware shops established to sell materials for building the stalls were seen open on the first day of the fair. Usually, hardware shops get closed and withdrawn just before the fair opens.
The Bangla Academy bookstall had yet to open at the Suhrawardy Udyan on the first day, while the information booths both at the Udyan and Bangla Academy were found empty.聽
On the first day of the fair, no security checks were seen for the visitors and no security archway gates were found to be installed at any entry points.
The visitors also suffered in the crowd of vehicles used by publishers, law enforcement agencies and media houses.聽
The fair authorities鈥� initiative to build permanent washrooms at Suhrawardy Udyan part attracted praise from the visitors and stall owners although they complained about a lack of water supply in the toilets on the opening day.
Admitting the lapses and delay in management, the member secretary of the fair committee, Sarkar Amin said that they were focused on the opening ceremony and now they would concentrate on strengthening the management.聽聽
鈥楾he information centres will be open from the second day. We also take decisions today about where to place the vehicles for urgent use,鈥� Sarkar Amin said, adding that the security check system would be put in place after the inauguration.聽
Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner for Ramna zone Md Masud Alam said that the security archways would be activated after the inauguration.
鈥楩or the opening ceremony there were many protocols for the guests. For that reason many vehicles were allowed inside the Suhrawardy Udyan. We hope from the second day we will be able to organise things in a more synchronised manner,鈥� said Md Masud Alam.