TIRUCHY: Residents of Poolancheri in the district have been deprived of a community hall as they complain of the one set up in the village panchayat remaining locked for the past two years or so, storing materials and books shifted from a similar facility that also doubled up as a library until its demolition.
Soon after plans to demolish the dilapidated community hall-cum-library which catered to the over 3,000 residents of the villages of Poolancheri and Papapatty in the panchayat, materials like pipes and books were shifted to the newer community hall in the same village i.e. Papapatty about two years ago. Since then, the newer community hall has remained closed, irking villagers.
Thangavel C, a resident of Papapatty, said, "Alleging shortage of funds the locked community hall has been abandoned, affecting every family. If the library is open it could help the young and the old to read newspapers and magazines. There is a Shiva temple in our village. After consulting astrologers, many soon-to-be couples approach the village temple to get married. Keeping the community hall open would benefit them greatly."
Another resident, Prakash, said, "We have to go as far as Musiri to organise even a small function, that too in private halls. Other panchayats will not let us access their community hall. The cost of booking a private hall and transportation costs are too much."
When contacted, an official from the rural development department told TNIE, "The maintenance fund for existing buildings has not been released for the past few years. The issues are true. I will take the necessary steps to open the library and the community hall but we don't have sufficient funds to make them effective. I can allot `1,500 monthly for a librarian. I shall also take up the issue with higher officials."