After being forced to shut six public libraries, owing to staff shortage and lack of funds, in December last year, the Mohali municipal corporation on Wednesday handed them over to resident welfare associations (RWAs) for maintenance.
The libraries, which are located in different green belts of the city, are expected to reopen in a week’s time. The civic body also announced ₹10,000 per monthly aid to be allotted to each library in addition to an allowance covering the power bill.
Announcing the latest move, deputy mayor Kuljeet Singh Bedi said: “We have handed over the libraries to the respective RWAs and they will be open within a week’s time. We will even provide some books to them.”
The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) had in 2017 commissioned the libraries, each at an estimated cost of ₹20 lakh, before handing them over to the MC.
All six libraries had been operational since 2019, but were forced to shut down in December last year. Located in Phases 4, 6, 3B1, and 9, and Sectors 69 and 70, the libraries offered books, mainly donated by the public.