CUTTACK: The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has set up public libraries in several slums of the city for the benefit of school students and youth. But while the libraries have been well received by locals, they lack basic facilities like drinking water and toilets.
As per reports, there are 264 identified slums in 59 wards of CMC. In a bid to inculcate reading habit among the residents especially youth and students by making books easily available to them, the civic body has so far constructed eight libraries at Tilak Nagar, Dhabaleswar Gada, Krushak Bazaar, Jagatpur, Nimpur and Bali Sahi slums.
The civic body has also engaged attendants (one each for a library) from a local self-help group for maintenance of the facilities. The libraries can accommodate 50 readers each at a time and get electricity through solar power. But while the visitors can arrange water from home, absence of toilets pose a problem for them,”said Akhila Odisha Jhopadi Patti Mahasangha president Brundaban Das Azad.
CMC mayor Subhas Singh said steps are being taken to construct the facilities at the libraries.