Mumbai University (MU) senate member Vaibhav Thorat on Thursday wrote to Vice Chancellor Dr. Suhas Pednekar asking him to take cognisance of the pitiable condition of the Jawaharlal Nehru Library block and shift it out at the earliest.
In its May 13 edition, The Hindu had first reported about how students and officials were troubled by the decrepit state of the library. A language books section has been shut down after a ceiling collapse, and language books brought from various parts of the country and the world and decades-old newspapers have been lying in a sheet of dust.
Mr. Thorat, who is also a member of the Yuva Sena, said the MU has neglected the library and the ‘B’ wing was shut down this month.
Deplorable: The walls of Jawaharlal Nehru Library block are crumbling and books are gathering dust.
‘Librarian not in office’
His letter said, “Decades-old newspapers are eating dust, research papers filed by the students are also lying in a very poor condition, the passage resembles the set of a horror film and with the windows of the ladies’ washroom broken, anybody from the terrace can peep in.”
The letter alleged that Bhujang Ahire, the chief librarian, is never present in office and that the students can attest to the fact. “I have visited the library several times over the months, but the librarian has never been in his cabin. The students can very well vouch for this,” Mr. Thorat said.
He asked why the library cannot be moved to the new building and if the MU is waiting for a misfortune to take place. “If the books could speak, they would have lodged a complaint themselves. The university ignores students’ protests, but do not let the books get down to that,” he wrote.
The senate member has asked the Vice Chancellor to show some concern towards the state of the books. He has also requested that the new building be opened and library moved there soon.
