This Article is From Mar 14, 2012

Neither reduced staff nor number of books in library: Tamil Nadu

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Government told the Madras High Court that it had neither reduced thenumber of books nor staff in the Anna Centenary Library.

The state Principal Secretary for Education D Sabitha rejected the contentions in a petition filed by one KavignarIlayabharati, alleging that despite a January 19 court order, the library was not being maintained properly and basicfacilities, like drinking water, was not being provided.

In an additional counter affidavit to the petition, the secretary also rejected as baseless the allegation thatgovernment was adopting a "starve to death policy merely due to the changed political situation."

The counter said even during power cuts, electricity to the library was being supplied by an auto generator without anyinterruption, except under unavoidable circumstances.

On the allegation of reduction in staff members, the officer said all the staff recruited for the library werestill continuing.

The counter said the total expenditure of the library was Rs.50 lakh per month and it was likely to go up to Rs.threecrore per month in the years to come.But the average income was only Rs.1.30 crore per annum from use of the auditorium.

The remaining sum was being managed from out of the Local Library Authority Fund. In spite of all these financialcrisis, the library had been maintained properly with all facilities without any interruption,the counter said.

The library was constructed by the previous DMK government and in a setback to the ruling AIADMK government's plans toshift the 'world class' library from its present location to another, the High Court had in December last said it shouldnot construct a building for the purpose.
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