Jawahar Shashtyabdhapoorthi Memorial Library has been one of the cultural landmarks of Attingal for over four decades. It is the only place in Attingal where one can read James Hadley Chase to Gabriel Garcia Marquez and from Muttathu Varkey to O.V. Vijayan. Around one year ago, a grand plan for a new, modern building was proposed by the Municipal Council. Tenders were invited and after the usual procedure, the contract for constructing a new two-storied building, with an estimate of Rs. 30 lakhs, was awarded to Mr. Rajendran, a leading contractor in Attingal. The ground floor is a mini-auditorium with a capacity to accommodate around 150 people. The library and the reading room will function at the first floor. The old library building in Kacheri Nada (adjacent to Pooja Hyper Shoppe) was demolished and the library was temporarily shifted to Municipal Town Hall. The new building was scheduled to be inaugurated in January 2008. The building construction was progressing at a reasonably good pace until this month, thanks to the enthusiasm shown by Mr. Ramachandran Pilla, the chairman of standing committee for health and education, and the support given by Municipal Chairman C.J. Rajesh Kumar. But now, the work has been stalled and the inauguration, most probably, will have to be postponed. The reason is that the contractor has not yet received his payment for the completed work. Now he is seemingly adapting a go-slow attitude in construction work. Officials are blaming the poor financial position of the municipality for not providing the funds. The result is an unfinished building staring at the travelers near Kacheri Nada.
The library was started in 1963. At present it has more than 3000 members. The librarian, Vijayakumar, says that there are only around 1000 active members. He also revealed that membership has actually increased since shifting the library to Town Hall, because of the interest shown by people who came to Town Hall for various functions. He hoped that the construction will be completed as soon as possible.
The library was started in 1963. At present it has more than 3000 members. The librarian, Vijayakumar, says that there are only around 1000 active members. He also revealed that membership has actually increased since shifting the library to Town Hall, because of the interest shown by people who came to Town Hall for various functions. He hoped that the construction will be completed as soon as possible.
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