MAPUSA
The renovation and restoration work of the old Mapusa municipal building housing the municipal library is expected to be completed early next year and thrown open to public on January 26, 2024.
The refurbishing work of the heritage building is taken up by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) at an estimated cost of around Rs 3.8 crore.
While the entire roofing work of the structure has been completed the other works are going on at a snail’s place.
Sources informed that a fund crunch was slowing down work on the project.
But senior officials in GSUDA expect the work to be completed by early next year and inaugurated on the Republic Day next year.
“Work on the false ceiling has already started. Although the contractor has time to deliver the entire project by May next year, the work is expected to be completed and inaugurated by January 26, 2024,” an official with GSUDA informed.
According to the blue-print, the entire ground floor will be dedicated to the library. It will be compartmentalised in various sections including offering reading facilities to senior citizens. Besides re-roofing, the entire building will be repaired, re-plastered and painted. Tile flooring and furniture/woodwork is also included in the plan.
A senior engineer with GSUDA informed that the library will be set up with all modern facilities including the feature of a digital library.
“While the ground floor will be dedicated to the new library, the hall and other rooms on the first floor will also be renovated. There will also be a provision for a pantry in the building,” the engineer informed.
The municipal library popularly known as the Athaide Municipal Library was shut down in September 2019 due to the weak structure of the building.
However, before shutting down the library the concerned authorities failed to make an alternative arrangement to cater to a large number of children and senior citizens who regularly used the reading room facility and the library.
The Mapusa Municipal Council initially planned to hand over the library to the Arts and Culture department to renovate the structure and set up a district library in its place.
Later that plan was shelved, and the council decided to repair the building through GSUDA.
Constructed during the Portuguese regime, the building is more than 100 years old and is considered as a heritage structure.
