Municipal library in Ambala’s British-era building to get a makeover

Till 1949 there existed a rest house-cum-memorial named after the British Queen Victoria

Till 1949 there existed a rest house-cum-memorial named after the British Queen Victoria.

On May 8, 1949, the then Punjab chief minister of the combined state, Dr Gopi Chand Bhargava, and the then district collector, MS Randhawa (ICS), had inaugurated the renovated British-era building into a public library, named after the tenth and final Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh. (HT PHOTO)

Later, the then Punjab chief minister of the combined state, Dr Gopi Chand Bhargava, and the then district collector, MS Randhawa (ICS), had inaugurated the renovated heritage building converted into a public library on May 8, 1949, named after the tenth and final Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh.

Now, the place nurtures thousands of dreams under its roof, where students come with ambitions to clear civil services or to settle abroad.

On Monday, mayor Shakti Rani Sharma visited the library near the city railway station to inspect the problems faced by the students and staff. The building, maintained by the municipal corporation (MC), still preserves legacy with large doors, portrait paintings, high ceilings and other structures.

Main motive to add more study tables: Mayor

Sharma said that she will get the building renovated and that it urgently needed a whitewash, more tube-lights and a gardener. “We should be proud that such buildings exist and we have to maintain the legacy. I spoke to the students who apprised me of the problems that will be rectified at the earliest. The main motive is to add more study tables for students, so that social distancing is maintained,” the Haryana Jan Chetna Party leader said.

Library staff said that on average, 150 students visit the place daily and spend most of the day studying here. The place opens from 9am to 9pm, and remains packed with students preparing for competitive exams.

In a separate reading room dominated by elderly residents, newspapers in different languages are available; in another are available hundreds of books and magazines of different genres.

The mayor said that almost a decade ago, when her husband Venod Sharma was a local MLA, she had tried to improve the place by adding a number of facilities. “An amphitheatre also exists behind the main hall. We’ll plan to organise theatre and cultural activities to restore the lost glory of this heritage building,” she added.