Chennai
Despite several appeals put forth to the government by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) Owners’ Welfare Association and the public, no steps have been taken to renovate it so far.
“The library sees hundreds of visitors every day, and they have also been urging us to take steps to renovate the building,” said G Vijaykumar, president of the association. Stating that the building looks haunted, Shalini J, a book-lover, said, “I used to visit this library frequently until a couple of years ago.
However, the building’s state tends to scare anyone away.” “From paint peeling off, to cracks in the walls, the library looks like it will collapse any day. The electricity meter board situated behind the staircase is also in a terrible condition. During rainy season, water tends to seep through the ceiling as well. The books sometimes get musty, too,” she added.
“The library, which contains books of all genres in English and Tamil, used to be one of the favourite hangouts of my father. He is, however, disappointed with the lack of any maintenance now,” said Kannan P, a resident.
He also rues that no priority is accorded to protecting the books in the establishment. “When it rains, the books tend to become damp. Besides the shelves, many of the books are piled on top of tables pushed against the walls. This will only damage the books further,” he said.
Following numerous written complaints received from the public, the TNHB association, with help from an MLA, requested the government to take steps to renovate the building. “The library is more than 25 years old and if steps are not taken immediately, the library might just have to close,” said Vijaykumar.
Dr K Nithyanandam, president of the Madras Library Association, said, “Nobody cares for public libraries anymore, especially branch libraries. We hope that steps are taken, both by the government and the public, to protect them.”
Admitting the poor state of the library, an official said, “The public should also take care in maintaining the library. It is not the government’s responsibility alone. We are also open to receiving suggestions along with such complaints. Besides, we are also short on funds.”
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