Publishers to be compensated

Cultural Affairs Minister Abul Kalam Azad yesterday assured compensation to the 25 publishers of Amar Ekushey Boi Mela, who lost 37 stalls in Monday's fire at Bangla Academy.
On assurance, the publishers withdrew their decision to keep all stalls closed from 3:00pm-4:00pm yesterday.
The minister met the representatives of Bangla Academy and the publishers at his ministry.
Farid Ahmed, executive director of Gyan and Srijonshil Prokashoni, said the minister wanted to compensate them after arrival of the report of the probe committee formed to value the losses.
Meanwhile, none of the two probe bodies formed on February 25 submitted their reports by the deadline yesterday.
Bangla Academy Director General Shamsuzzaman Khan said the probe body to asses the losses might submit its report today but the technical committee which was tasked to find the cause of the fire may take some more days.
Meanwhile, hundreds of visitors observed one minute's silence in the fair yesterday in memory of the author Humayun Azad, who died in 2004 after an attack by Islamists. Writers, publishers and readers formed a human chain on the fair ground to demand trial of the attackers.