MPs' committee takes note of top posts lying vacant in major central libraries

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, February 5

The parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture has flagged the issue of top posts lying vacant in major central libraries in the country including the National Library in Kolkata.

“The Committee fails to comprehend how the National Library could be expected to function to its maximum potential when the top-level post of director-general of the library has been lying vacant for years. The Committee recommends that the post of the Director-General in the National Library should not be kept vacant for long and steps be taken to fill it up immediately,” the committee in its latest report tabled in the ongoing Session of the Rajya Sabha noted.

According to the recommendations of the committee, the executive head of a library should be an eminent library and information science professional with strong technical background. He/she may be appointed in the grade of director general at least for three years for taking up the responsibility, the report by the committee said.

The Committee, headed by TG Venkatesh of the BJP, noted that there was no proper preservation of books/manuscripts in the national library in printed and digital format. The library is also not receiving copies of printed as well as digital publications available in the country.

The Committee also noted that there was no regular director in the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna, for five years (2014- 2019). There was also no board there for a while. The Board was reconstituted in 2020.

“The Committee is dismayed to note that under the administrative control of the Ministry of Culture, the library had been running without a permanent director for a few years which must have had affected the functioning and decision-making process adversely,” the report stated.

The Committee asked the Ministry of Culture to “shed this apathetic attitude in the interest of libraries and general public”.