Guwahati: Sixty neighbourhood libraries planned across Guwahati will give young minds, students and residents easier access to books and learning resources.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the project on ‘X’ on Sunday, with one library planned in each of the 60 Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) wards.“Book lovers in Guwahati, I have some good news for you. We are building 60 libraries across the city, one in each municipal ward to make available spaces for students, researchers and readers, so that opportunities for good learning are never a hindrance,” he wrote.GMC will oversee the project, which aims to create accessible spaces where people of all age groups can read and spend time with books in their neighbourhoods.GMC mayor Mrigen Sarania said the project would be implemented in partnership with State Bank of India (SBI) through its corporate social responsibility initiative.“SBI would provide Rs 10 lakh for each ward, which would be utilised to set up libraries. The initiative aims to promote reading habits and create accessible learning spaces for residents,” he said.“We are also looking for suitable spaces to set up these libraries, such as existing clubhouses, community halls or other civic structures that can be converted for the purpose. Where such spaces are unavailable, new structures will be constructed. The work is expected to begin by the end of Nov and will be carried out across the wards,” he added.The libraries will primarily stock books for competitive and other examination preparation, along with collections for readers of all age groups. Efforts will also be made to establish digital libraries to widen access to learning materials and information.
