LARKANA: A sizable number of women staged a demonstration outside Begum Nusrat Bhutto Library, the only library for women in Larkana, on Monday in protest against lack of basic facilities and an increasingly unhelpful environment at the library.

Sawera Bhutto, Bakhtawar Khuhro, Somia Jatoi and Noor Buledi, who led the protest, urged Larkana mayor to update the facilities at the library, which faced problems of uninterrupted power supply, old and incompatible alternate solar power system, limited seats, shortage of required books and almost dead-paced Internet, they said.

They came from different parts of the district and the city to prepare for federal and provincial competitive examinations for jobs in different sectors. Over 500 to 600 girls, who were preparing for entry tests for medical, engineering, police and other departments regularly visited the library but unfortunately neither ceiling fans were working nor were there enough seats for them, they said.

They complained that upper portion of the library remained locked and was not opened for visitors despite the fact the ground floor proved insufficient to accommodate growing number of visitors preparing for different exams.

“We as well as in-charge librarian have time and again conveyed out grievances to the mayor and requested him to address the problems the readers face but so far their efforts have borne no fruits,” they said.

They appealed to the mayor and the officials concerned to take measures immediately to update the facilities so that they could prepare for the upcoming competitive examinations in a congenial atmosphere.

The in-charge librarian confirmed that she had conveyed to the officials concerned the readers’ problems, particularly the electricity issue. The upper portion of the library was kept shut due to shortage of furniture and staff and the officials concerned had been informed about it, she said.

The Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Memorial Library established in 1976 have already become overcrowded with readers coming from different districts where a little delay can deprive one of a seat.

Sources said that the fate of the project for Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai Library having equal spaces for men and women hanged in the balance even after its approval. The budget allocated for the project in last fiscal year was Rs50 million, said the sources, adding that tender for the purpose was floated but delay in handover of land to culture department caused the project to run into snags. Timely construction of this library could also lessen problems of female readers, they said.

Larkana Mayor Anwar Ali Nawaz Luhar admitted that the solar system installed at the women’s library had become old. “We are planning to update it within a couple of days at a cost of Rs1.5 million,” he said.

He said the rest of the issues would also be addressed as “we are committed to provide adequate facilities to women in order to encourage them to compete alongside men in different examinations”.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2024