He said that many publishers are not happy with the decision as they feel that they will not be able to make profits from the rate hike fixed by the association. “But we have nothing to do,” Shyamal expressed hope that the crisis would end soon.
Traders at book hub Neelkhet said the prices of several books, including textbooks and guides for preparing for jobs, have gone up.
Abul Kalam Azad, whose daughter will appear for SSC next year from Monipur High School, said the prices of model test books and notebooks have doubled since last year and many of them are no longer available. “(and) the quality of the paper has declined.”
Mustafa Kamal, owner of Kamal Library & Stationery in Mohammadpur, said the price of SSC exam paper has gone up by almost 50 per cent from Rs 2,800.