Metro Railway has promised additional trains connecting Howrah with Salt Lake for the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair.

Around 20 nations are set to take part in the fair, which commences on January 22.

The fairground located at Karunamoyee in Salt Lake will feature nine entrances, two of which are inspired by Argentinian architecture, as announced by the Publishers and Booksellers Guild on Monday.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is set to inaugurate the fair alongside Gustavo Canzobre, a distinguished Argentine author, and Mariano Agustin Caucino, the ambassador of Argentina to India.

Argentina is the focal theme country of this edition of the fair, which will continue till February 3.

“The book fair venue will be connected to Howrah directly for the first time by Metro, and we expect a huge number of book lovers from all over Calcutta, Howrah and other districts will avail the service to reach the fair,” said Tridib Chatterjee, the general secretary of the Guild, which organises the fair.

“On our request, Metro railway authorities have decided to increase the frequency of the metro service. A special booth will also be there within the fairground from where the visitors can book a ticket through UPI.”

This year, the fair organisers have urged the state’s home department to deploy more police in plainclothes inside the fairground to avert any outbreak of trouble ahead of the Assembly polls amid disturbance across the border in Bangladesh.

The Guild has urged the state government to take measures to ensure that police carry out inspections of the stalls at regular intervals throughout the fairground, and that a sufficient number of CCTVs are installed both inside and outside the ground to monitor any activities that may pose a threat to the city’s marquee event.

“The number of stalls this year will be just above 1,000, and the digital map of the ground with the list of participants will be available at all the entry points. Visitors must scan a QR Code to get it,” said Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, president of the Guild.

One of the major attractions of the book fair, the Kolkata Literature Festival, will be held in the SBI auditorium on January 24 and 25.