HC wants works in Anna Library to be completed soon

Chennai: The Madras High Court has granted four weeks to the Tamil Nadu government to set right the defects of the Anna Centenary Library (ACL) after it submitted that the works had been delayed due to damage caused by Cyclone Vardah.

The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M M Sundresh recorded the government's submission and asked the court-appointed advocate-commissioner to visit the library premises after four weeks to verify the status.

The court said that Additional Advocate General Venkataramani had submitted that all the aspects pointed out by it had been attended to periodically, but were disrupted by some damage caused by Cyclone Vardah.

"Four weeks' time granted. P T Asha, who is the member of the committee, may visit after four weeks and verify that by and large all the aspects are attended to," it said and posted the matter to February 21 for further hearing. A PIL had been filed, citing the defects of the library, to improve the basic facilities there and to ensure proper maintenance.

Earlier, senior counsel P Wilson, appearing for the petitioner, argued that despite several adjournments over the last 16 months, the authorities were not complying with the court's directions to restore all the facilities in the library and to fill up staff vacancies.

During the arguments, the bench sought to know from the additional advocate general as to how many students were visiting the library daily.

When he replied that about 2,000 students visited the library every day, the bench remarked, "and yet you sought to keep the library closed for so many years".