Despite strong opposition from "Prakashak Oikko" (Publishers' Unity), construction of stalls for Book Fair 2026 is more than halfway done, and workers at the site say the fair will open on schedule. Visiting Suhrawardy Udyan on Sunday around 3:20pm, this correspondent found several stalls already completed, with others having their poles and tin sheets in place. Md Salahuddin, one of the workers at the site, told Dhaka Tribune that everything would be finished within the deadline. Meanwhile, Prakashak Oikko has announced it will not participate in the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026, citing Bangla Academy's "failure to follow through on earlier agreements and its failure to address concerns about lack of transparency". The grievances driving their position include what they describe as extreme time pressure, a lack of transparency and fairness in the allocation process, and unfair advantages being given to certain publishers.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 22, 2026 11:25 UTC