A sea of humanity at an earlier edition of the Book Fair on the Maidan. A Telegraph picture

Many questions are being raised about Calcutta Book Fair since it was thrown out of the Maidan in 2007 and Park Circus Maidan in 2008. Metro seeks to answer those that are most frequently asked...

Why is Book Fair targeted year after year?

The demand to shift Book Fair from the Maidan was first raised in 2006, after all other fairs were removed from the greens to protect the environment. “Since Book Fair is the largest of all fairs and draws maximum footfall, it cannot be allowed to keep trampling on the city’s lungs when the others have been shooed out,” argued a green activist.

When the entire city is in the grip of pollution, what additional harm can Book Fair cause if it is held on the Maidan or Park Circus Maidan?

The average (annual) respirable particulate matter (RPM) in the city’s air is 100 microgram/cubic metre, much more than the permissible limit of 60. Any fair in the city proper will only add to the poison content of the ambient air. “Banning fairs on the greens is a decisive — though not the only — step to enforce the people’s right to breathe easy,” said a legal expert.

What will happen if the Maidan is chosen as the permanent site for the Book Fair, as demanded by a section of intellectuals?

Disaster. Lakhs of visitors and thousands of cars will result in a significant rise in the already high levels of dust and nitrogen oxide in the air around the Maidan, which comprises 60 per cent of the open space of Calcutta. In 2006, the Pune-based National Environment and Engineering Research Institute had found “abnormally high levels” of harmful particulate matter around the Victoria Memorial during the Book Fair. The central government institute had held the “Book Fair at the nearby ground” responsible for the “heavy dust concentration in the Memorial area”.

Can a brief rise (during the fair) in pollution cause damage to humans?

Certainly. In 2001, the state pollution control board had found “alarmingly high concentration of RPM” on the Book Fair grounds and asked the organisers to announce that the air on ground is harmful for the visitors, especially the children and the aged. According to the US Environment Protection Agency, such high levels of pollution can even trigger premature death.

Should the Book Fair be scrapped for the sake of the environment?

Not at all. The fair can always be held in a place — like the Salt Lake stadium — where pollution is much less compared to that in the city. Hence, the demand for a permanent fairground, set up scientifically.

Is Durga puja a greater source of pollution than Book Fair?

Figures do not suggest so. The pandals are spread across the city and so is pollution. The Book Fair, on the other hand, causes a substantial rise in air pollution in a particular zone. Besides, since Puja is a public holiday, the number of vehicles is less, balancing the rise in footfall-induced pollution.