RAWALPINDI, June 13: The Punjab Library Foundation has sanctioned a special grant of Rs1.5 million for the Municipal Library located at Liaquat Bagh, official sources told Dawn.

The grant was approved in a meeting of the foundation authorities. It will be used only for the purchase of books for the library. The executive district officer (education) has been asked to constitute a committee of education experts to prepare a list of books required for the library and forward it to the foundation officials.

The in charge of the library, Tahir Mehmood Khan, when contacted, termed the foundation’s decision timely. He said the library was badly damaged by the last year flash floods in Nullah Leh. The books damaged or lost in the floods were not replaced, causing inconvenience to the readers. The Norwegian embassy, he said, helped a lot in the renovation of the library.

The decision of the foundation authorities, Mr Khan said, would go a long way in fulfilling the requirements of the library which was facing shortage of latest books. The library, he said, was the second largest in the whole of the Punjab, and had about 36,000 books. However, it lacked latest editions, magazines and periodicals. Hundreds of readers visit the library daily.