CHENNAI: Members of the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) expressed their delight over Chief Minister MK Stalin’s announcement of a Book Park. BAPASI general secretary SK Murugan told TNIE that former CM M Karunanidhi’s dream has come true with this announcement.
“When former CM Karunanidhi inaugurated the Chennai Book Fair, BAPASI members requested him to create a Book Park for publishers’ welfare. The former CM promised that he would do it but the proposal was pending for years. Now, present CM Stalin has come forward to set it up,” he said.
“If the park is established, 387 book publishers will be able to benefit from it. In addition, many Tamil associations abroad find it difficult to buy Tamil books frequently. Having a Book Park here will help them,” Murugan added. The State should allocate land in the centre of the city so that readers can access it easily, he urged.
BAPASI’s former vice-president G Olivannan also welcomed the CM’s announcement. “In addition to the Book Park, if a children’s play area or park is set up in the same campus, it will attract more people. A small museum can also be started,” he opined.
During the event organised by the Tamil Development Department on Tuesday, Stalin gave away awards and cash rewards to 21 eminent personalities for achievements in various fields. Speaking on the occasion, the CM said, “Once, former CM Karunanidhi said that the government would provide land to establish bookstalls to ensure the availability of all kinds of books in one place. And he named it ‘Book Park’. My government would provide land to set up the park after getting suggestions from BAPASI.”