State Minister for Liberation War Affairs, Ridwan Ahmed will inaugurate the festival as chief guest on Chittagong Outer Stadium presmises in the afternoon.

Chittagong city, north and south district commands of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad organised the festival.

Organisers of the festival convening committee at a press conference yesterday said the festival aimed at bringing the real freedom fighters to the forefront of the festival.

Putting up the background of the festival at the press conference at the Chittagong Press Club auditorium, they said originally some prominent freedom fighters of the port city started organising the festival on the premises of Chittagong Outer Stadium back in 1989.

But the freedom fighters could organise the fair for only two occasions upholding the true history of the War of Liberation before they were forced to step back as the platform was being used for petty political interests, the organisers said.

The festival convening committee secretary general Shahabuddin Ahmed Chowdhury read out the writen statement at the conference. The committee chairman Alhaj Dostagir Chowdhury, also general secretary of Chittagong city BNP, and co-chairman Abul Kalam Azad were also present.

Sanwar Ali Sanu, Abu Sayeed Sarder and Advocate Abdus Satter attended the conference.

The festival venue that had been used for holding "Muktijuddher Bijoy Mela" (Liberation War Victory Fair) for twelve years till 2001, was forcibly captured and the fair snatched, leaders of the Muktijuddher Bijoy Mela Parishad said.

Denying the charge, the festival convening committee leaders said the festival was being organised after obtaining permissions from all the concerned authorities of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, District administration, Army Headquarters - the owning authority of the venue and Chittagong Zila Krira Sangstha (CJKS).

So there was no scope for "forcible occupying of the venue" or "snatching the fair", they added.

They said, "the vested quarter that snatched the fair from the freedom fighters and used the fair for narrow personal interests and plundered its fund, are now spreading the confusion and misgiving".

The committee leaders said transparency in dealing with the fund of the festival would be maintained strictly and the income would be spent for the welfare of the distressed freedom fighters.

In this regard they said the festival raised TK 13 lakh last year while this year an agency -Four Star Consortium, was entrusted with the responsibility of controlling and managing the commercial stalls.

The agency got the responsibility wining a tender for TK. 10 lakh and it would bear all the cost of erecting the stalls, power supply and ensure security of the festival premises, they said.