Ongole : Libraries in dire straits as local bodies hold up cess

Ongole : The library cess collected from the public as part of taxes, is held up from the local bodies for more than a decade, forcing libraries to function in dilapidated buildings, though some of them have land available for the construction of new buildings. On the other hand, with the non-recruitment of staff in the place of retired or died-in-service staff, the existing staff are suffering from work overload.

Library cess is used to be remitted to the account of Zilla Grandhalaya Samstha directly when the public pay the taxes. But the system changed from 2007-08, as the government wanted to transfer the amount in lumpsum every year. However, due to various reasons, only a part of the amount is being credited to the accounts of the library institution. In 2017, following the protest of the staff in libraries, the government credited the cess collected from the public regularly, but for a short time.

The urban local bodies in the erstwhile Prakasam district have cess dues to be transferred to libraries to the tune of Rs 9.32 crore for the period from 2002-08 to 2022-23. The Ongole Municipal Corporation has to transfer Rs 3.24 crore, followed by Chirala Municipality Rs 1.75 crore, Markapur Municipality Rs 1.65 crore, Kandukur Municipality 0.90 crore, Giddalur nagara panchayat Rs 61 lakh, Kanigiri nagara panchayat Rs 52 lakh, Chimakurthy nagara panchayat Rs 41 lakh and Addanki nagara panchayat Rs 24 lakh. The rural local bodies have to remit a total of Rs 6.40 crore from the period 2007-08 to 2019-20, including Rs 48 lakh from Tangutur mandal, Rs 40 lakh from Karemchedu mandal, Rs 39 lakh from Singarayakonda mandal, Rs 39 lakh from Chirala mandal, Rs 33 lakh from Parchur mandal and Rs 30 lakh from Marturu mandal.

Of the 66 libraries run by the department of public libraries in the Prakasam district, 32 are run in their own buildings, 13 are in rented buildings and 21 are in rent-free buildings. However, of them, four own buildings, three rented buildings and 19 rent-free buildings, like in Dornala, Donakonda and other places are in dilapidated conditions. The subscribers and readers in these libraries are complaining about the damage to books due to the rainwater and dust from the leaky roofs.

The government sanctioned a total of 105 staff to work in these libraries, but there are only 36 employees taking care of them in shifts or depending on the regular visitors to the library to open and close them. The remaining 69 posts are vacant as the staff were retired or died in the service years ago, but the government didn't care to recruit new staff.

A Ramarao, a member of the District Library at Ongole said that the negligence of the government in running and maintaining the libraries is affecting the attempts to inculcate reading habits in the children and youth and to wean away the youngsters from smartphone addiction.

Bommala Koteswari, secretary, FAC of the Zilla Grandhalaya Samstha, said that they had written one more time to the ZP CEO for the collection of the cess from the local bodies and crediting it into their PD account.

She said that they received a part of the dues in 2022-23 and used the funds for emergency requirements. Koteswari said that the delay in transfer of funds is affecting the plans to construct the new buildings and expansion in some libraries in the district. She said that the government will recruit the staff soon, and libraries will continue to inspire the next generation.