Kakinada: Tottering PR College Library cries for attention

Kakinada: The Central Library in Pithapur Rajah's (PR) Government College is in highly dilapidated condition and the walls and ceiling are cracking with pieces falling. It is a very ancient library housing about 98,000 books and 45,000 titles with meagre staff to look after the needs of the library.

During the rainy season, water leaks from the slab and the whole library drenches in rainwater. Two rooms have leakage of water from the roof during the rainy season.

According to sources, the sealing had fallen and the computer was damaged. Owing to the frequent leakage of water and fallen sealing pieces, the books spoiled and no steps were taken to prevent the leakage of water.

It is also felt that the building may collapse at any time due to poor and miserable condition. Even though the students frequent the library, there is no proper furniture to sit and read.

Some of the active members of the library are drafted for various other works and students are not in a position to seek help from the staff for getting the books.

Even though Librarian ChVVS Satyanarayana Reddy informed about the problems they are facing in the library, Principal Dr Chappidi Krishna has been deaf to the complaints about the problems of the librarian. It is also alleged that library fee collected from students has not been utilised for the development of the library. Every year an amount of Rs 2 lakh has to be paid towards the development of the library including its repairs.

The library lacks the facilities due to non-utilization of students' contribution as library fee. In view of paucity of funds, the library is not equipped with the latest books which are most important for the UG and PG students opting for model courses.

In the past, the PR College Old Students Association donated a lucrative amount of Rs 10 lakh. And the small growth and development is only due to the donation of the old student association.

Central Library Librarian Satyanarayana Reddy said that the number of books has been increasing steadily, as several philanthropists including the family members of the Pithapuram Rajah are sending books on a regular basis. Probably, this is the only college where students can pick the title of their choice from the rocks directly. He said that he is a retired employee and he is working part time in the college.

PR College Principal Dr Chappidi Krishna told 'The Hans India'that they submitted a proposal for a new library to be built at a cost of Rs 3 crore under Nadu-Nedu programme. He said that they would start the new building soon after the grant is released. He said that that Autonomy UGC grants should have been released by this time, but owing to Covid-19 the funds were stopped.

He stated that they have some more ancient books besides the Bible which need preservation and protection. If the government earmarks a special fund exclusively for the protection of the books, he would certainly attend to them and help for preservation and adequate steps would be taken to keep them free from moth-eaten condition.