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Charu Chhibber
Chandigarh, February 19
A small room with books locked in almirahs, six chairs and a table, all occupied by serious-looking youngsters, profoundly staring at the books in front of them. Outside, it is getting frustrating for readers who are in need of some quiet study time, but there is no space available for them. This is what the branch library at Mani Majra looks like on any given day.
Housed in a small, dilapidated building in the heart of Mani Majra town, the library had come up in 1980. The building had originally belonged to the Notified Area Committee (NAC) of Mani Majra. But according to information, it was handed over to the library a few years back. However, as per officials, the absence of crucial documents has left the authorities guessing as to whom the building belongs to, now. As a result, the renovation project of the building has been hanging fire for years. The authorities are also unable to relocate the library to a new location due to official limitations, inform the officials of TS Central State Library, Sector 17 – the parent library.
Sources informed that the officials of TS Central State Library have, on numerous occasions, tried to contact the officials of the NAC, MC and engineering department in this regard but to no avail.
The library has two rooms – the main library area and a reading room. In the middle of the two, is a tiny room, which is utilised as the staff room. The condition of this room is deplorable. There is seepage in walls and windows are broken. Two old, broken chairs and a small table are the only furniture the tiny room can accommodate.
The branch library is open from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm on all weekdays and from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. It has a total membership of 2,100. The book stock is over 25,000. Over 100 readers visit the library every day. The library provides reference and reprographic services.
Besides general books, the library has reference and competitive books as well, informed librarian Mandeep Kaur.
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