CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library faces crisis over 8.5 lakh books
New Delhi: The country’s 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library is currently facing a relocation crisis. After Shastri Bhavan was vacated under the Central Vista redevelopment project, the library will also have to move to a new location. However, there is still no clarity on adequate space for its vast collection.
Established in 1891, the library was earlier known as the Imperial Secretariat Library. It houses more than 8.5 lakh books, rare volumes, government records and gazettes. Its oldest rare collection is said to date back to 1702. The library has been operating across four floors in an area of about 5,500 square metres.
Along with government officials, students preparing for competitive examinations also visit the library for study. In such a situation, the relocation process could also affect the facilities available to students and researchers.
According to reports, space comprising two rooms of about 300 square metres in Kartavya Bhavan-2 had been proposed, but the Ministry of Culture considered it inadequate for the full collection and required facilities. The ministry had earlier indicated the need for space equivalent to about 5,466 square metres. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, meanwhile, has said that a new space is being arranged for the library and the construction-related process is moving forward.
For now, the biggest question is where and how such a large number of books and historical records will be shifted safely. Until a new arrangement is in place, the library’s services and the study facilities for students will remain under close watch.
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