Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Library cess not properly used

COIMBATORE: Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) Executive Committee member and former councillor of the Coimbatore Corporation M. Krishnaswamy has alleged that the Library Cess collected from the public was not being used properly.

In a letter that was addressed to Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran on Thursday, the former councillor called for greater focus on how the money was being spent.

Quoting from information got under the Right to Information Act, he said that though the Corporation said it had given more than Rs.18.86 crore to the District Library Authority for opening libraries in the city, not more than three libraries had been opened in the city over the last 10 years.

Quoting a reply from the Corporation also, the letter said that the civic body had collected nearly Rs.30 crore as cess for the last 10 years.

But, only three libraries had come up in the Corporation limits during this period. The letter to the Commissioner said that a library should have been opened in each of the 72 wards for the benefit of various sections, especially the youth.

A reply from the Information Officer of the District Library Authority said that libraries functioned at the following areas in the city: Peelamedu, Singanallur, Sowripalayam, Uppilipalayam, Puliyakulam, Ramanathapuram, Gandhipuram, Town Hall, District Central Library, R.S. Puram, Telungupalayam, Seeranaickenpalayam, Pappanaickenpudur, Sanganur, Pappanaickenpalayam, Sukrawarpet, Ganapathy and Nanjundapuram.

Mr. Krishnaswamy said that he had specifically asked for the number of libraries opened in the last 10 years.

The information official had replied that 42 libraries had been opened in the city.

But, only the ones in Singanallur, Nanjundapuram and Pappanaickenpudur were in the city, contrary to the claim that 42 were opened in the Corporation limits, the Councillor further said.

Mr. Krishnaswamy said that a letter from the library authority in 2006 mentioned that it had received Rs.17 crore (from 1997 to 2006) and that shortage of funds had hampered the opening of more libraries in the city.

Mr. Krishnaswamy alleged that Rs.17 crore received from the Corporation as cess was used to open only three libraries in the city and 81 in other parts of the district.

This amounted to improper use of the funds got from the city. He called for a high-level inquiry into such handling of money got from the public.

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