BANGALORE: Of all the libraries falling under the North zone, the public library in Nandini Layout has the best building, infrastructure-wise. Inaugurated in 2009, the library looks are almost brand new. But the back entrance is the only way to enter the building. We found out that last year, on 15th August, a wall and the original pathway leading to the library collapsed due to heavy rainfall. Following the incident, the library was shutdown for two months which in turn caused lot of inconvenience to the 2285 odd members. The original entrance has now been blocked off temporarily to prevent any untoward incident. There is a huge open drain right in front of the library which is posing danger and sandbags have been placed as the only protective measure between the library compound and the drain. Ironically, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ward office is just a stone’s throw away from this library. But, the drainage is covered with cement exactly till the point where the Corporation office ends. When we quizzed ward corporator M Nagaraj, he said, “As you know, BBMP is already facing a huge financial crunch and this pending work requires funds worth Rs 50 lakh. The Corporation is in huge debt. But, we have called for the tender and I will ensure that the work is completed in another 1.5 to 2 months.” The library staff tells us that especially during rains, this open drain can prove to be really dangerous. Chief Librarian Manjula said, “The staff were afraid to work here after last year’s incident. Hence, we want this work to be completed before the monsoon starts.” Contrary to what the ward corporator said, other officials told us that the tenders haven’t been called yet and the work will take longer than two months. Assistant Engineer Jai Prakash said, “this comes under the Flood Damage Scheme and it will cost around Rs 58.5 lakh. We are hoping the amount to be sanctioned within one week after which we will get a ‘job code’. After that, we will call for the tenders and the entire process will take atleast a month. Once the work starts, BBMP will give them a 2-3 months deadline. If the work doesn’t go through the tender process, KRIDL (Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited) will take it up and the work will be completed in less than 45 days.”The biggest problem posed by the library users is the open drainage and it seemed to be tangled in bureaucratic hurdles. Even MLA Narendra Babu opined that ‘unnecessary delay’ was caused by BBMP.On the brighter side, there was a security guard deployed at the entrance, unlike the public library in Rajajinagar.On drinking water and toilet facilities, Girish, a KAS aspirant who visits the library regularly, told us, “I have been coming here for the past 2 months. The drinking water here doesn’t seem clean and the toilet in the ground floor is always locked. There should be more books for students like me appearing for competitive exams.” Librarian at the Nandini Layout branch, Gayathri told us, “We keep the toilets locked because there is no water supply. We were using a bore well which has dried up and we are trying to get the Cauvery water connection.” The most colourful part of the library is the Children’s section in the first floor which is filled with books for children, stuffed toys and a TV. The library members are hoping that the drainage is covered at least before the rainy season and this library doesn’t get attention due to all the wrong reasons.
Comments
0 comment