More than three years after being deprived of its spacious premises, the District Central Library is still making do with an ill-equipped building in a commercial area at Surya Baugh. With over 52,000 books, its sections are cramped and poorly lit with several handicaps that affect its functioning when compared to the old building next to Prahlada Kalyanamantapam. The library was shifted after its one-acre site was given on lease-cum-agreement to Pratyusha Associates Shipping Limited. The ZGS secretary office, a part of the central library, is now located separately at Dwarakanagar.
Lease cancelledThe lease was cancelled this May by the Director of Public Libraries after a sustained struggle by Poura Grandhalaya Seva Samithi comprising a host of intellectuals led by MLC M.V.S. Sarma. Mr. Sarma says the termination of the lease should be executed by the government and it should go ahead and hand over the site to the ZGS to enable it to construct the building again.
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If the construction was completed, the ZGS should have got two floors for library, conference hall etc, says secretary P. Uday Kumar. With huge arrears of Rs.40 crore towards library cess from the GVMC, the ZGS has the funds to construct the building on its own if the land is restored to it, he says. With a dogged pursuit, the ZGS got Rs.1 crore since 2008 and Rs.20 lakh last year from the GVMC. The order on directly crediting the library cess through eSeva centres should be implemented, he urges.
“All local bodies owe arrears to grandhalaya samsthas. We are clearing the dues at the rate of Rs.10 lakh a year. However, from this year software will be created for directly crediting 8 per cent of the property tax as library cess,” GVMC Additional Commissioner (Finance) S.S. Varma has said when contacted.