A library constructed at Pandian Nagar by the Neruparichal panchayat administration during 2010-11, under a government sponsored scheme, remains closed after the panchayat got merged with Tirupur Corporation two years ago.
Though the properties under the control of the panchayat were handed over to the Corporation administration, the administration is yet to make arrangements for the operation of the library.
Waste of money
“It is colossal waste of money if the library remains unutilised. Setting up of the facility has been a boon to the people in the locality and for children in the nearby government schools to develop reading habit,” K. Kaniyappan, resident of Ponnammal Nagar, who was a regular at the library, told The Hindu .
The front portion of the library is presently being used by people to carry out ironing of clothes in pushcarts and to park vehicles.
K. Raju, an activist in the area, pointed out that the repeated pleas to the authorities to get the library reopened did not yield any result.
P. Balan, the last panchayat president under whose term the library was set up before the area got merged with the city, said that the library was built under the Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam scheme of the government at a cost of Rs 4.1 lakh.
“At that time, we got the voluntary service of a librarian for taking care of the library’s daily functioning,” he said.
When contacted, Corporation sources said that there was shortage of staff in general which prevented the administration from allocating an exclusive person to look after the library operations. “We will try to take steps to make it operational again at the earliest,” an official said.
