Mayor writes to top MCD official for restoring power at Hardayal Library

On November 15, HT had reported on how the 161-year-old institution in old Delhi was in a state of disrepair

Two months after electricity was cut off at Delhi’s iconic Lala Hardayal Municipal Heritage Public Library due to non-payment of bills, mayor Shelly Oberoi wrote to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner Gyanesh Bharti to release the grant to the library to help restore the electricity connection

With no power at the Hardayal Library, students and staffers are forced to use mobile phone and torches to study. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

On November 15, HT had reported on how the 161-year-old institution in old Delhi was in a state of disrepair with no power, forcing students and staffers to use mobile phone torches to study. Apart from this, staffers said that they hadn’t been paid their salaries since February 2021.

Oberoi’s letter to the commissioner was in reaction to a letter by newly-elected secretary of the library, Preeti, the Aam Aadmi Party councillor from Dilshad Colony, requesting release of grants.

The mayor, who is also the ex-officio chairperson of the library, told HT, “I have written a letter to the commissioner to release the grants for payment of electricity bills and staffers’ salaries. As grant committee has not yet been constituted, still we trying to find out legally correct way out of the problem.”

In its report, HT had highlighted that one of the oldest public libraries in the city has no functioning toilets or drinking water. In a letter to the mayor , library secretary Preeti said that electricity bills which amount to ₹5 lakh have not been paid by the library.

The letter, seen by HT, said, “On taking charge as secretary of HMHPL, it has come to my notice that electricity connection of the library has been discontinued due to non-payment of electricity bill and salary of employees has not been released for the past 32 months... It is requested that the pending grant of HMHPL by the MCD may kindly be released as early as possible… For the smooth functioning of the library.”

Lala Hardayal library has seen better days, even glorious days. It was set up in 1862 as a part of a reading club meant for the British. The library boasts a collection of 170,000 books – including 8,000 rare collections and manuscripts.