"This place is also good Chowringhee is any day a better area (as venue) but this place also has the potential to become a major draw."

But the Guild is adamant about not shifting the book fair from Maidan. The Guild's secretary, Tridib Kumar Chatterjee, said: "The book fair is held on a large scale on Maidan, occupying 28 acres of land. It is not possible to hold such a massive fair in the space available at the new fairground. We cannot reduce the book fair's scale by cutting down on the food court and other peripheral presentations because all these are needed for the benefit of the visitors."

Kolkata Book Fair, he stressed, "is of international standards", and should continue to be held on the Maidan.

Chatterjee also brushed aside allegations that organising the fair on Maidan hurts the city's lungs. "We do not think there is any kind of environmental pollution," he said. "We take steps to rejuvenate Maidan after the fair every year. We are going to have the fair on Maidan this year; nothing can stop us.

"Other fairs can be held in the new ground because they are (relatively) small-scale affairs."

The Army, which earlier contended that the fair be shifted from Maidan due to security reasons, now seems reconciled to the issue. "We will allow them to hold the fair on Maidan if the court gives the nod. We have no other issues," Wing Commander R K Das said. "Regarding environmental problems, we will ensure that they take care of Maidan and replenish it with grass once the fair is over."