Students are made to sit on floor, stairs and in the lawn; some sections remain closed; library timing curtailed; no potable water available; students take out protest rally
Report and Photos by Allah Bux Khushik
Dadu, Sindh
Sindh Culture Department has miserably failed to maintain the 34-year old Allama I. I. Kazi Library and provide basic facilities to the visitors including the furniture and potable water.
A number students took out rally and staged demonstration outside the local press club on Friday to register their protest against the lack of facilities at Allama I.I. Kazi Library in Dadu city.
The students of various universities, colleges, and high school holding placards raised slogans against the provincial culture department and the library administration for not providing furniture and clean drinking water etc.
They also criticized the library administration for not opening the different closed sections and increasing library time.
Farooq Abro, Naveed Somroo, Farman Jamali, Ihsan Kumbar and other protesting students said that due to shortage of furniture in study sections, they are compelled to study under the trees in the lawn of library and sitting at the floor of library rooms.
They said that water filter plant was established in library but due to corruption it has not been functional yet. “Due to shortage of clean drinking water we are facing great hardships,” they said.
The agitating students said that study time of library is 12 clocks for students but the administration has curtailed the time to 10 clocks a day. “The library’s opening and closing time is 8am to 5pm but the administration opens the library an hour late at 9am and closes the gates at 4pm,” they told.
Citing the example of other libraries of the province, they said that libraries in Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur and Karachi offer much time to the students but in Dadu, the administration is not ready to increase timing of library and instead has illegally curtailed the 2 hours’ time.
The protesters said that old building of library was closed and in new library building, female and primary students’ section were closed by administration.
They alleged that administration shows the old building functional in official record and is getting fake bills but the fact is contrary to it.
The students said that many times they lodged complaint to Deputy Commissioner Dadu and elected MNAs and MPAs but they didn’t pay any attention to their grievances.
“Finding no other way we compelled to record protest,” they said.
They said that our youth want to give time to their studies at library but the library administration and elected members of assemblies are not happy. “Perhaps they want youth to spend time at hotels,” they lamented.
They told that a number of students are preparing for competitive examinations but no one is ready to help them. The protesting students demanded District and Session Judge Dadu to take notice of the situation and issue directives to the concerned authorities.
While, this reporter contacted library in-charge Muneer Mustafa Jhandeer, he was not available at the library. He even didn’t reply text message sent to him about the students’ allegations.
It was learnt that the Library In-charge lives in Hyderabad and is posted here. On Friday, he was in Hyderabad, according to sources, however, on Saturday, when Mr. Jhandeer was again contacted, he told that he was in a meeting in Naushehro Feroze on Friday.
Muneer Mustafa Jhandeer said they cannot extend the library timings due to shortage of staff. “No recruitment has been made since 2013 during which a number of staff members have retired,” he said.
Admitting that the library has shortage of furniture, he said there are only 50 chairs at the library, and he has no authority to buy any furniture. “I have written to the high ups about the grievances of students,” he said.
According to him, the library has solar system and all the library rooms are airconditioned.
The miserable conditions were witnessed during a visit to the library to verify the allegations of protesting youth. The students showed the contaminated water they had to consume while a large number of students were seen sitting on floor, stairs and in the lawn.
The library was established by Sindh Culture and Tourism Department, but seems that the authorities have utterly neglected to maintain it and even no inspection is conducted to take stock of the situation.
The library was inaugurated by Syed Qaim Ali Shah, the then Sindh Chief Minister, on February 26, 1989.
An employee of the library, who didn’t want to be named, confided that owing to lack of facilities, the number of students enrolled at library, has declined. “Last year, the number of registered students was 300, which this year has dropped to 200,” he told.
Dadu has only two public sector libraries. Another one is located in Doaba Village of Dadu. Some NGOs had established the libraries in Mehar, KN Shah and Johi towns of Dadu district but all were closed.
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