The environment in and around the venue, including Teachers Students Centre of Dhaka University, Dowel Chattar, was festive as people started to gather since morning and made long queues to enter the fair.

In the evening, the end of one queue reached Shahbagh intersection while another queue made all the way to Curzon Hall and beyond.

Thousands taking the freshmen admission test of Dhaka University thronged the fair after their test ended yesterday morning.

According to Bangla Academy Information Centre, different publication houses yesterday displayed and sold 70 categories of books.

A colourful unveiling ceremony of Aaj Himur Biye by Humayun Ahmed was held yesterday that grabbed the attention of many young people. However, a number of them seemed to be disappointed as Humayun Ahmed married Himu off in the novel. Himu is the prime character of a series of novels by Humayun where the character mostly stands aloof to things happening around him.

Visitors and a number of publication houses expressed their dissatisfaction over the mismanagement of the Fair Management Committee. They complained about unclean environment in the fair, security hassles and stall allocation irregularities.

Owner of Agamee Prakashani, a publication house, Osman Gani alleged that the authorities were harassing visitors in the name of security. "We want security and the authorities can provide it without harassing people," he said.

He said the authorities allocated a number of stalls that did not meet the criteria for a stall allocation in the fair and a number of stalls are selling books of other publication houses illegally.

However, the fair authorities yesterday launched a drive against those stalls, sources said.

A seminar and a cultural programme were held at the Bangla Academy in the afternoon. The academy will organise painting, music and poetry recitation competition for the children from February 9. Competitors were requested to collect necessary forms within February 7 at the academy during office hours.