TIRUCHY: Space shortage at the Tiruchy Central Library has forced hundreds of civil services aspirants to sit on the floor and along the corridors of a library that boasts of more than 1.3 lakh books.
Hundreds of aspirants from villages who visit the library located on WB Road every day are troubled by the lack of facilities such as chairs and tables. Recently, over 200 visitors submitted a petition to the District Library Officer demanding additional facilities at the library.
"I was regularly visiting the library to prepare for my medical entrance exam. I used to see hundreds of students sitting on the floor daily. We come to the library everyday because there is not enough space for us to prepare at our homes. We will be happy if library authorities and the district administration create additional facilities to accommodate students," said Dr Senthil Kumar, one of the petitioners. The petition signed by 200 people asks for a better seating arrangement, a hall for visitors to have food, and Aavin parlour.
Around 600 to 700 people visit the library every day. Of these, at least half of them are aspirants preparing for competitive exams like UPSC, TNPSC, and banking exams.
"We have the necessary resources and books but the infrastructure facility is poor. I usually arrive at the library at around 10 am and study here till evening. Whenever I bring lunch, I have to eat sitting on the floor either near the entrance or the parking lot. The library authorities help us by allowing us to study even on holidays. We hope they would improve the facilities," said Gowtham, a civil services aspirant.
A senior official said, "We are making necessary efforts to create additional facilities. Already the children’s zone is allowed for female visitors to study and we are also considering setting up a few tables in the conference room. All efforts are being taken to provide the visitors with a comfortable reading experience."
Library officials said during earlier Covid-induced restrictions, there were not many visitors to the library. "After the second lockdown, the number of aspirants visiting the library went up. With the TNPSC exam schedule released last month, more people are visiting the library for preparation now."