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Kolkata: Over 60,000 periodicals, newspapers destroyed due to leaking roofs at India’s largest library

The library's collection of newspapers includes India’s first newspaper.

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Over 60,000 periodicals and newspapers were destroyed due to leaking roofs and AC ducts at National Library, Kolkata. The library is India’s largest by volume and a part of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. 

On Tuesday, when the Group D staff employees comprising cleaners, sweepers reached the Bhasha Bhavan building, they were taken aback to see an entire floor inundated. 

By the time they reached, they saw over 60,000 periodicals and newspapers has been destroyed due to leaking roofs and AC ducts, according to sources in the library. Sources also revealed that leaking roofs were a common sight at the Bhasha Bhawan and that the extent of damage during the monsoon season is increasing alarming every year. 

Library insiders reveal that several racks in the newspapers division have been completely destroyed. The extent of damage is so huge that it is far from being revived. The collection of newspapers includes India’s first newspapers— Hicky’s Gazette, Englishman, Anglo Indian Recorder, Hindoo Patriot and Indian Mirror among others. 

This section of the library, which had water leaking from its roof, has a rich collection of late 19th and early 20th century newspapers and periodicals. Periodicals, newspapers and gazettes available in the library up to 1953 comprise the rare collection.

“The Bhasha Bhawan was built by the Ministry of Culture for better preservation and maintenance of books. This facility became fully operational in 2005. For the last two-three years, the roofs have started leaking and no renovation or repair works are being carried out to prevent damage of books and periodicals. There are days when we have to move all the books and periods from the lower racks and cover the shelves with tarpaulin,” said an employee of the library. 

While, the library is trying to digitise its records of rare books, manuscripts, periodicals and newspapers, the ones lost due to flooding have been reduced to a mound of rubbish stashed away in a corner of the library, say insiders. 

When dna contacted Arun Chakraborty, Director General of the National Library, Kolkata he denied any damage of periodicals or newspapers. “Nothing has been damaged. Everything is in a proper place. But, there was some flooding at Bhasha Bhawan and I have given orders for an investigation of the matter. There are no leaking roofs or AC ducts. Even if there is, the CPWD is in charge of carrying out maintenance works.”

Asked on whether the funds sent by the Centre are sufficient for the maintenance works, Chakraborty said, “Whatever funds are received from the Centre are transferred to the CPWD account. We have no idea whether it is sufficient to carryout renovation works or not.” 

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