A reality check by the TOI team on Tuesday revealed that construction was going on at the mela ground. According to an employee of a construction firm, only 10% of the total work has been done so far.

Right in the middle, some labourers were busy erecting structures for the state government sponsored Handicraft Expo 2007 that will kick off on January 27. With construction work going on at a snail's pace, experts are not sure how the CM will keep his word. Besides, the Milan Mela ground would be too small a place to accommodate the book fair rush, they felt.

"Kolkata Book Fair does not only need huge space, but requires an atmosphere, which should not have captive characters," said S S Chakraborty, managing director of Consulting Engineering Services (CES).

"We are not sure about whether we would be able to complete the ground construction work for holding the 2008 book fair." Chakraborty, who is now in Africa, felt that Milan Mela would not be a suitable place for holding the fair. CES is in charge of the permanent exhibition complex project. Ahluwalia Contracts is responsible for its first-phase construction. Modelled on the lines of Delhi's Pragati Maidan, it is expected to become operational by July 2007.

Publishers and Booksellers Guild organiser of the Kolkata Book Fair has rejected the CM's proposal outright.

"The book fair cannot be held at Milan Mela. Book lovers will not go there because of bad transport connectivity," said a guild official. "We require not less than 28 acres of land. We can go anywhere if we get that," said Tridib Chatterjee, guild general secretary. The complex will come up in two phases. The project cost for the first phase would be Rs 45 crore. The Centre has provided Rs 10 crore and the state Rs 5 crore.

"Initially, there would be 4,000 sq m of airconditioned space and an additional 4,000 sq m of non-airconditioned space for holding exhibitions,"