The Publishers and Booksellers Guild is worried about accommodating a surge of visitors to the next year’s Book Fair at the Central Park in Salt Lake’s Karunamoyee, following the expansion of the East-West Metro corridor.

The 49th edition of the International Kolkata Book Fair commences on January 22 and continues till February 3.

The Central Park, rechristened Boimela Prangan, spans 152 acres, and Guild officials said it can accommodate around three lakh visitors daily.

The last edition, held between January 28 and February 9, saw a collective footfall of around 27 lakh, with a business volume of ₹23 crore

“The East-West Metro, now connecting Howrah and Sector V, has made the Book Fair venue more accessible for those who want to visit from faraway districts,” said Tridib Chatterjee, general secretary of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild.

“The footfall to the fair will definitely go up, and since there is no way to increase
the capacity of the venue, accommodating everyone will be a challenge. We will request the Metro authorities to reduce the frequency of trains during the book fair days,” he said.

The frequency of trains on the Green Line is around eight minutes during peak hours and 10 and 15 minutes during non-peak hours on weekdays, with different time schedules on weekends.

The Esplanade-Sealdah stretch of the East-West Metro became operational from August 22, connecting the entire stretch from Howrah Maidan to Sector V.

The total number of daily services is 226, with the first service at 6.30am and the last at 9.40pm.

Guild officials said that Boimela Prangan’s space constraint posed a challenge in accepting applications from new participants willing to set up stalls at next year’s fair.

“We have been receiving applications for new stalls, but it will be a challenge to accommodate new ones,” said Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, president of the Guild.

Logo release

The 2026 edition of the Book Fair will feature Argentina as the focal theme country for the first time.

“We are delighted to be a part of the International Kolkata Book Fair. The love for Argentina’s football in India, and particularly in Bengal, is well known. We hope our participation at the Book Fair in India’s cultural capital will promote the literary and cultural ties with both the state and the country,” said Andres Sebastian Rojas, head of the political and cultural section, embassy of Argentina.