THENI: The next time you go to Chinnamanur police station in Theni to file a complaint, know that you don't have to hit the peak of boredom waiting there for your turn, while the cops go on with their usual business. You can well take yourselves into worlds of imagination, or get enriched with some general knowledge, as a collection of seven hundred books in various genres await there for you to glance through.
A brainchild of the station house officer and inspector P Sekar, the library set up at the police station aims to serve the locality which lacks the facility. Sekar hopes that with around 15 schools including eight higher secondary schools also nearby, the library, which also has books for competitive exams, could solve the absence of coaching centres in the area.
The broader perspective, however, is to change the public's perception of what a police station is. "Students and aspirants need not see a police station just as a place for filing complaints and handling suspects, but also as a place for themselves. It is also the role of the police to lead young minds in the right direction, which can be made possible by letting them read inspiring and good books," Sekar said.
Sekar got the idea to set up the library after he found a small room available on the station premises, which was used to stock unused items. He conveyed his wish to convert it into a library to SP Dongare Pravin Umesh, who gave him the green signal.
Now, the room can accommodate 20 people at a time, and has a host of periodicals and newspapers, apart from the books. Most of the books are donated by volunteers.
"Public can avail of the facility from 8 am to 9 pm every day. Station visitors, as well as the general public, can read the books and newspapers without getting any permission from the police," he added. Sekar said the books for various competitive examinations in the library have already drawn the attention of many. The library, however, does not yet allow the public to take the books home. Currently, SSI Kumaran oversees the facility.
"In the coming days, we will consider allowing suspects to read books inside the station as reading might change their minds," Sekar said, adding that he would wish to hear that at least one beneficiary of the library was able to crack a competitive examination.