GHMC blind to plight of public libraries in Hyd

It is estimated that about Rs 302 crore were due to public libraries in the Hyderabad city by GHMC till 2013-14. If it is calculated till 2015-16, the GHMC has to pay around Rs 460 crore to the libraries. It just releases about Rs 12 lakh per month towards power bills, rents and salaries to part-time workers

A famous quote “knowledge is power” indicates the value and power of knowledge. People get the knowledge through word of mouth, experiences and reading knowledge resources (books and other types of documents). Books constitute the basic source of learning and gaining knowledge, and libraries feed the needful books to people.

We had many famous libraries in ancient India at Taxila and Nalanda, which catered to scholars’ need to learn and build knowledge. We all remember the Alexandrian library, one of the oldest libraries in the world.

• Woeful lack of facilities and right manpower in libraries
• They are starved of library cess and funds for upkeep

In the present times, the Library of Congress is the largest library, with more than 160 million items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves whose collections include more than 37 million books and other print materials, 3.5 million recordings, 14 million photographs, 5.5 million maps, 7.1 million pieces of sheet music and 69 million manuscripts.

The British Library, London, is another prominent library in the world. Libraries have played a prominent role in social and independent movements in south India including in the State of Telangana.

Hyderabad State was the second State to have a Public Library Act (1955) to develop a public library system. This was adopted with changes in 1960 as AP Public Library Act after the formation of AP. Politicians and social activists realised the role and importance of the public libraries and enacted the Library Act.

As per this Act, the local bodies such as municipalities and gram panchayats collect a library cess @ 8 paise (that is 8%) on property tax. This is not part of property tax but it is in addition to the property tax. It is estimated that about Rs 80 crore is being collected annually as library cess (Rs 1,000 crore is collected as property tax, estimated on the basis of property tax collected during 2013-14 which is Rs 931.70 crore) by GHMC.

Once the tax/cess is paid by the citizens of the GHMC area, they need to get the library services. What is the present status? On the basis of RTI response, it is estimated that about Rs 302 crore are due to public libraries in the Hyderabad city by GHMC till 2013-14. If it is calculated till 2015-16, the GHMC has to pay around Rs 460 crore to the libraries.

It just releases about Rs 12 lakh per month towards power bills, rents and salaries to part-time workers. GHMC is spending the remaining balance of cess for unknown purposes. The citizens question whether the GHMC has a right to divert the library cess paid by the citizens for different purpose? Is it not violating their fundamental rights or misuse of public funds?

The city is expanding and library cess is collected annually (estimated to more than Rs 80 crores per year) from every property holder but no library is established after 1987. No staff is recruited from 1993. However, some outsourcing staff are working in these libraries. There are not enough chairs and furniture in the libraries as can be seen at City Central Library or State Central Library.

For all the talk of Swachh Bharat, the status of toilets in these libraries is beyond anyone’s imagination. The users bring their own chairs to sit in the library premises, and some sit on stairs, floor or in the lawns. Vide the GOMS No. 391, dated 28-10-1994, the cess collected by the municipalities or gram panchayats need to pay directly to Zilla/City Granthalaya Samstha within a month of its collection.

Otherwise, the government deducts the said amount from the state grants and reimburses to the library fund. The government is not asking GHMC for payment of the cess collected. Earlier, the cess collected by the e-Seva was directly transferred to City Granthalaya Samstha fund but the former GHMC Commissioner stopped it 5th February, 2013 on the pretext of misuse and corruption by library authorities.

The misuse was due to appointment of wrong and corrupt persons as chairmen and members of ZGS/CGS. The Library Act stipulates appointment of professionals such as doctors, scientists, teachers etc to these Samsthas, but they have become political rehabilitation centres. The libraries’ purchasing policy and the way the work handled is also unethical and non-scientific.

The libraries need modernisation and knowledgeable staff. Initially, the recruitment was done by the State Public Service Commission, later the task was entrusted to the Zilla Granthalaya Samsthas concerned, which paved way for corruption. Move to vest this power in District Collectors was in vain as library chairmen went to the court.

Now, in public libraries, one staff member manages more than one library. One can imagine the status of these libraries when they are being managed by attenders or outsourced employees. In Khammam district, one lady manages three libraries located in three different villages. This is the sordid state of affairs of the public libraries in the state of Telangana.

The government should recruit the right candidates through the TPSC to manage the libraries and improve their functioning. Many educated feel that denying access to knowledge resources is detrimental to the democratic society. Successive governments worked against formation of the Knowledge Society which stresses on enlightenment of every citizen as a right.

Save for changing the word ‘AP’ to ‘TS,’ no tangible measures have been implemented of late. The least said about technology the better it is. Our Chief Minister, a well-read person, recently said that he read hundreds of books and for which he might have used libraries. We have a dynamic Chief Minister who is changing the status of the State with his vision. Prestigious projects such as Mission Kakatiya and Water Grid and Mission Bhageeratha are highly appreciated.

It is earnestly desired that he also looks into the affairs of public libraries and transforms them greatly. First task would be to appoint a knowledgeable and visionary person as the Chairman of Telangana Granthalya Parishad to move things in right direction. Meanwhile, the GHMC should do its bit and pay library cess. Unfortunately, no political party takes up development of libraries on its agenda to help the cause of young minds of the State.

The author is President, Telangana Library Association, Member, Advisory Board, National Library, Kolkata; Professor in Library and Information Science, OU (super-annuated); former Director, UGC-Academic Staff College (2006-8); former President of Indian Association of Teachers in Library and Information Science (IATLIS) and Association of British Scholars (AP Chapter)