Sorry state of Central Library
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Geet Loitongbam
Imphal, December 08 2011:
Even as protracted delay in completing the construction work of a new building of the State Central Library has started taking a toll on the existing books with many of them becoming moth-eaten, the tiny reading rooms have discouraged people from coming to the library.
According to sources in the Art and Culture Department, government of Manipur, after the old building located next to the southern wall of Raj Bhavan was set on fire in 2005, the State Central Library was shifted temporarily to the eastern portion of the State Archive building at Keishampat.
Subsequently, the Art and Culture Department kept aside an amount of Rs 1,20,00,000 from its budget allocation under 12th Finance Commission Award (2006-2010) as fund for construction of a new and separate building of the State Central Library within the compound of State Archive.
Along with sanctioning an amount of Rs 60 lakhs for the first phase and depositing the same with Manipur Police Housing Corporation, construction work on the new building of State Central Library commenced on May 17, 2006.Another Rs 60 lakhs had also been sanctioned for the second phase on February 28, 2007 and the same was deposited with the Corporation.
Over and above this, an additional fund sum of Rs 16,93,159 had been sanctioned and deposited with the Corporation, sources disclosed.
However, even after six years, construction work on the ground floor of the new building of State Central Library has not yet been completed nor developed any of the required infrastructures have been undertaken.
Talking to Hueiyen Lanpao, an official of State Central Library informed that as construction work on the new building has taken such a long time, the staffs have been finding difficulties in arranging the books properly in the tiny rooms of the State Archive building.
As a consequence, many of the valuable books have also become moth-eaten.
The cramped space of the reading room has also discouraged many people from coming to read and the number of readers coming to the library has dwindled over the years.
There are also no separate rooms for children.
It is said that State Central Library has been paying House tax for using the building of State Archive.