The Hindu Business Line : Kolkata Book Fair: HC disallows Park Circus venue

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LAC Ambassadors urge to keep event on schedule on Jan. 29.
Their publishers have already spent $10,000 for the event.
Some LAC countries have plans to invest in projects here.

Our Bureau

Kolkata, Jan. 28 The sudden uncertainty over the venue for Kolkata Book Fair 2008, after the Calcutta High Court judgement on Monday quashing permission given to the Publishers’ Guild to hold the fair at Park Circus Grounds (in a residential hub of the city), may have dented the efforts to establish greater people-to-people contacts between the Latin American Countries (LAC) region and West Bengal through the medium of Kolkata Book Fair.

The event is scheduled to begin from January 29.

The annual fair, given the level of international participation and the annual footfall recorded, is now acknowledged as a mega cultural event in the city.

The Ambassadors of Latin American countries (as many as seven of them), participating in an interactive session organised by the Bharat Chamber of Commerce here on Monday, urged the prominent citizens of the city among the assembled captains of industry to ensure that the signature event is held as scheduled, as the team has come prepared with several publishers and books to participate.

Cultural setback

Talking to newspersons after the session, Mr Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, Ambassador of Dominican Republic in India, and leader of the group, admitted cultural relations may suffer a setback if the event is cancelled. He said the publishers in each of the nine countries have already spent $10,000 towards the event, besides costs towards shipment of the books in large numbers.

Stressing on trade, tourism and exchange of business information as a prelude to future joint ventures, he said efforts should be mounted in a big way to counter the oft repeated complaints of trade in both India and LAC that distance and logistics were insurmountable problems for increased bilateral trade.

He suggested a direct flight to the Dominican Republic from India could be worthwhile from a tourism point of view as the country also falls close to the exotic Caribbean islands.

India investments

According to the envoy, Dominican Republic, which already has signed a free-trade agreement with the US, was seeking Indian investments in sectors like bio-fuel (jatropha cultivation), pharmaceuticals and textiles.

According to Mr Rogelio Granguillhome, Ambassador of Mexico in India, his country was planning to invest close to $1 billion in various projects in India.

The four sectors of immediate interest for Mexico are said to be Information Technology, auto components, agri-products, and financial services.

The other Ambassadors who made presentations on the economic and trade opportunities in their respective countries were from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

PTI adds

With the Calcutta High Court disallowing holding of the Kolkata Book Fair at Park Circus Maidan on environmental grounds and violation of fundamental rights, the organisers on Monday decided not to go ahead with it till an alternative site was found.

“We are awaiting a copy of the High Court order, and then will decide whether to look for an alternative site or not to hold the book fair this year at all,” the Secretary of the organisers -Publishers and Booksellers’ Guild, Mr Tridib Chatterjee, said.

The court order has come a day ahead of the inauguration of the 33rd Kolkata Book Fair, arguably the second largest in the world after Frankfurt Fair.

Speaking after an urgent meeting of the Guild’s Executive Committee, Mr Chatterjee said that the decision was unanimous. “Till we obtain a copy of the court order and find an alternative venue, we are not going to hold the book fair.”

To a question, he said the Guild was not considering challenging the order in a higher court.

The West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, described the court order as ‘very unfortunate’.

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