On Sunday evening, the path leading to the auditorium at Anna Centenary Library in Kotturpuram was decked with festive lilac satin ribbons and visitors were greeted by a band of traditional musicians. The occasion — a wedding reception.
The auditorium, considered one of the finest in the city, was also the chosen venue when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed a huge gathering in the city last July.
However, conduct of wedding receptions, with caterers taking up space under a shamiana for cooking and serving, have raised questions about maintenance of the auditorium.
According to a Government Order issued by the Tamil Development, Religious Endowments and Information Department on August 30, 2011, the auditorium can be let out for government functions, university convocations, school annual days, cultural programmes, music programmes, business conferences (state and national), embassy meetings, general body meetings of multi-national companies, lectures by eminent scholars, and other functions permitted by the government.
On how a wedding qualified under these categories, the official said that though it was a private function, it could be considered a cultural programme. “Permission was given only for the reception and not the wedding which would involve conducting pujas and lighting the ceremonial fire. And the programme began only late in the evening, so that it did not disturb those using the library,” he said.
According to him, only three to four functions are held in the auditorium every month, as not many can afford it — Rs. 2 lakh a day. As per the GO, the rental charge for a day is Rs. 1 lakh, the airconditioner charge is Rs. 30,000, electricity costs Rs. 25,000 per day, sound system comes at Rs. 25,000, conservancy charge is Rs. 10,000, and internet and LCD costs Rs. 10,000 — totalling Rs. 2 lakh.
While the official maintained that cooking was not allowed on the premises and only heating of food purchased from outside was permitted, on Sunday, cooks were seen preparing cutlets and dosas on huge pans, as their assistants sat nearby cutting vegetables.
When this was pointed out, the official said that events of such a scale were a rarity and that maintenance was done systematically.
About the torn curtain screen inside the auditorium and the broken glass door at the entrance, he said that both were being repaired and the glass would be replaced by Thursday.
Earlier, bookings for the auditorium were made through the Department of Public Libraries, but now, they are handled by the Tamil Development, Religious Endowments and Information Department.
Parking, a hassle
Though regular users of the library say that the sound from the music bands or the programmes did not disturb them, finding parking space is a bit of hassle when big functions take place at the auditorium.
“We cannot hear the music inside the library but the parking lots are mostly full. When I saw so many cars parked, I wondered if so many people had come to the library, only to find that there was a programme being held at the auditorium,” said a C.A. aspirant who uses the library regularly.
Though both the auditorium and the library have allocated parking space, some staff members allege that the spill-over from the auditorium programme is usually directed to the library’s parking space.
In November 2011, the state government announced that the library would be converted into a super-specialty paediatric hospital. The issue is pending in the court.
