Surrounded by water, some stalls at the Suhrawardy Uddyan seemed like an alienated island. Ceilings became damp and water kept trickling down from top and light holders. Fire service staffs were trying to pump out the logged water while workers of the stalls remained busy sorting out the wet books.
Yesterday’s storm battered the stalls of the Amar Ekushey Granthamela 2016 so badly that the authority could open the fair only for one hour. The season’s first storm also toppled some parts of the tin-shade fencing of the Suhrawardy Uddyan.
Usually the fair begins at 3:00pm; yesterday it opened at 5:30.
Jalal Ahmed, member secretary of the book fair committee, said they had to clear water logging and reinstall border fence for security purposes.
“It’s my bad luck,” said a frustrated Shorna, who came from Badda with her friends. They waited for an hour then left.
Many book lovers waited until 5:30pm. The queue stretched from TSC to Dhaka Gate. But purchasing of books were poor as only a few people brought books. Publishers were rather busy to revamp their stalls and separate soaked books.
Staffs of Pearl Publications were extremely busy sorting out wet books. Talking to reporters, Hasan Zaidi, proprietor of the publication, said they have incurred a loss of at least Tk 1 lakh. “There was a tarpaulin on the roof but it could not hold the water pressure,” he said.
