NEW DELHI: Books are not what one usually expects to find at a police station. But this one at RK Puram has lots of them. And these are meant for the children of nearby slums so that they can utilise their time in educating themselves instead of straying to a path of crime. The ‘Delhi Police Public Library’ provides space to students coming from economically weaker sections to study peacefully.
“Schools have been closed for almost a year and the students, especially those living in nearby slums, are struggling to focus on studies as they don’t have a personal and peaceful space to study. Our idea was to set up a library with thousands of books, from fiction to those for competitive exams,” said Rajesh Sharma, station house officer, RK Puram PS.
“Due to lack of support and facility, these youngsters get into bad company and take to a wrong path. We have not just set up the library but also tied up with an NGO that provides counselling and free coaching for competitive exams.” The library is equipped with a smart classroom, computers and internet connectivity. It has about 2,300 books, more than 1,900 magazines and 15 newspapers.
The library is open on all days from 10 am to 6 pm. About 100 students can sit and read at a time. “I live in a one-room accommodation with four members and did not have any facility to attend online classes. Now, I attend classes here and the police uncles also help us in clearing our doubts,” said Sonal, a student of Class VIII.
This is the second library to be opened by Delhi Police after Jamia Nagar PS. SHO Sharma and the library recently received a certificate of appreciation for innovative education from Asia Pacific Chamber of Commerce, Goa.