The public library at Kolakombai, which is primarily used by young Dalit children and children of tea estate workers to further their reading habit, is in a state of extreme dereliction.
The corrugated iron roofs of the building are leaky, and rain has already caused damage to hundreds of books during the last monsoon.
The residents complain that the walls of the building are weak, and fear for the safety of the children who visit the library.
M. Perumal, a tea estate worker here, said that the children, who visited the library, did not even have rest rooms.
“The presence of rest rooms are important, especially for female students, who rely on the library and visit it from three estate schools,” he said.
Around 25 children are regular members of the library, while those from the estate schools visit often to read from the collection of more than 20,000 books as well as Tamil and English newspapers.
Another resident said that due to the leaky roofs at the library, rats, and even rat snakes entered.
While the snakes were infrequent visitors during winter, rats were present all year round and nibbled on some of the books at the library.
Repair
Sources at the Department of Libraries said that the library had been shifted to the current building only a few years ago, and that the building was being rented from a private party. They added that they were urging the current holder of the property to repair the roofs of the building.
