Holkar era library of Indore to be razed

Indore: The library of Holkar era, which was constructed in 1854 in the heart of the town at Rajwada, would be razed, as it has been declared dangerous. The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) had declared the dilapidated building dangerous in the past too but some how it was not demolished.

The IMC had included the library building in the list of dangerous structures twice during last two years. "A list of dangerous buildings is being updated in all the zones. The IMC will launch a drive to raze down the dangerous structures before rainy season sets in", assistant building removal officer Virendra Upadhyay told.

Library manager Bhushan Shinde admitted that IMC had issued notices declaring the building dangerous in the past. He, however, added that the dilapidated front canopy of the library has been repaired. Members and readers still frequent the ramshackle library. That is a reason why the IMC dithered on dismantling the structure.

But the structure has become so weak that book shelves had to be shifted in view of the fact that members still come to the building. In order to avert any untoward incident, an arrangement for reading has been made in the rear side of the library. Earlier, a bank was also operating in the building. It closed due to pathetic condition of the building. Trustees of the public library also tried to get the building renovated but failed to reach a consensus over terms and conditions with the contractor company. Finally the contract had to be cancelled.

Source: http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/MP-IND-holkar-era-library-to-be-razed-3407480.html