Mumbai: The Mantralaya library, which was established on February 11, 1955, will be shut down soon due to its poor utility by members. Books, including those on the Constitution and the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, are lying in the passage in a very bad condition. A digital resource centre will be created in its place.
Director general of information and public relation department, Brijesh Singh said, “The books will be handed over to the Vidhan Mandal library and Central library. Important books will be digitalised and will be made available online. A digital resource centre will be created soon at a place of library.”
The Mantralaya library is older than the state and was established during the time of ‘Bombay State’. It has important documents such as speeches of chief ministers, governors’ addresses before assembly every year, budgets and many other historical documents.
Condition of the books in the library
The library has 47,000 books, including constitution volumes, Marathi Sanskriti Kosh, and Vishwakosh. Many chief ministers, including Sharad Pawar and other ministers, secretaries used to call for references from the library. But nobody has bothered to do that since the last 30 years. The library receives only Rs 1lakh a year for purchase and maintence of books.
A sum of Rs 1 crore was spent for renovations but after the Mantralaya fire, the library was shifted to fifth floor and the ground floor space was given to the studio of publicity department, said sources.
Now a part of the publicity department encroaches on the library, which is only 1,800 sq feet in area. It has only 40-45 members and five staff members, who sit idle. Meanwhile Director General Brijesh Singh said, “We checked and found no one was using it. So we have decided to convert it to a resource centre, but will give books to central library.”
