Direction sought to return Rs 312.17 cr drawn from libraries

Updated on: Saturday, January 21, 2012

The Theni District Library Authority Employees Welfare Association has sought a direction to the Chief Secretary and school education secretary to refund Rs 312.17 crore drawn from funds of local Library Authorities of various districts to set up Anna centenary Library in Chennai.
  
Association President T Arivarasupandian also sought an interim direction restraining the Government from drawing any further funds from library funds of local library authorities in Tamil Nadu for ACL.
 
He contended that the land in which ACL had been built was not vested with the local library authority. The amount of Rs 312.17 crore was  'indiscriminately' drawn not only from the fund of Chennai Local Library Authority, but also from various district local library authorities in the state, he alleged.
 
Drawing money from Library funds of other districts to set up ACL,sought to be made in addition to the Connemera Library, a Central library, was illegal and hence the amount should be restored, he said.
  
He also said he had received information under RTI Act, which established that books were purchased at highest rates than at market price. Though books had been purchased for Rs 105.9 crore, only Rs 68 crore had been accounted for.
  
Citing an example, he said books written by Martienssen under the title "Biradicals, Radicals had been purchased for Rs 1.44 lakh when the actual price was only 89,319.34.
 
He demanded a probe in alleged irregularities in commissioning and constructing the library. Besides ACL did not come under the definition of Public library under the state library act, he said.
  
Justices Chitra Venkatraman and R Karuppiah ordered issue of notice to officials, returnable in three weeks and posted the case for hearing on February 9.
 

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