SIALKOT   -   Municipal Library Daska has been presenting a picture of official apathy. It has been speaking volumes about alleged indifference of the local administration and elected representatives to resolve its problems.

Municipal Library Daska is the only official library for more than 1.2 million population of Daska tehsil. There is a dire need of early upgradation of this library.

The status of this library is more than 60 years old. Its old building had been demolished by Sialkot district administration by declaring it an encroached place in 2010 (nine years ago).

Later, new building of Daska Municipal Library was established in 2012 (seven years ago).

The main reason behind prevailing miserable condition of this library is stated to be the lack of a proper mechanism to run its matters amicably.

This library has been waiting for new books for the last three decades, as Daska Municipal Committee is unable to purchase any new book for this library for the last three consecutive years due to lack of proper planning an  d non-allocation of funds for this purpose.

Local officials said: “Yes, this is true that no new book has yet been purchased by Daska Municipal Committee for Daska Municipal Library for the last three decades.”

At present there are 2,300 old books lying showcased in a few cupboards. These old books were now badly damaged and eaten up by termite.

There is no proper mechanism to issue these books to people for reading as there is no membership for the book-lovers in this library by Daska Municipality. Therefore, the staff has not yet issued any book to any person during the last thirty days. There are broken tables and chairs in the library for public use, and there is a dire need of new furniture. No water cooler is there in the library for the visitors. These old and broken chairs and tables are also in the grip of termite.

Some visitors including Nasir Mehmood, Saleem Ahmed, Abid Hussain, Hassan Raza, Usama Haider, Nauman Abid, Salman Sabir and Saud Nadeem said that Daska Municipal Library did not present a look of good library.

They said that there were no new books purchased by Daska Municipality for the last thirty years. They added that it was a great pity with the people of Daska that they were deprived of getting any benefit of this library due to lack of membership process.

They also strongly criticised the local elected public representatives for their lack of interest in solving the problems at the library.

They urged the government to initiate issuing the books to the people for promoting the book-reading among the people especially the young generation. They said: “Only a few Urdu and English national daily newspapers are available for reading for the visitors in the library. The heaps of old newspapers, now being eaten up by termite, are kept in poor condition everywhere in the hall of the library.”

The literary, educational, social, religious and political circles of Daska have expressed grave concerns over this sorry state of affairs of Daska Municipal Library. They have urged Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Commissioner Gujranwala Division Waqas Ali Mehmood and Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Dr Syed Bilal Haider to take serious notice of the miserable situation. They demanded new furniture and new books for the library. They also demanded the start of membership for issuing books to the people. When contacted, the officials of Daska Municipal Committee avoided any comment.