New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will convert many of its previously under-utilised community centres and halls into libraries and reading rooms, a move that will benefit thousands of students, according to an official statement released on Thursday.

Five such community centres have already been identified, each in Rajendra Nagar, Adhchini, Vikaspuri, Dwarka Sector-16B, and Rohini. Work to convert them into modern library and reading room facilities with all necessary amenities is progressing rapidly, the statement said.

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This initiative follows Delhi LG VK Saxena's directive to the DDA to provide library and reading room facilities to students, following the tragic incident in July where three young lives were lost due to drowning in the basement reading room of a private coaching centre in Rajendra Nagar.

Saxena, who visited the site after the tragedy, met with protesting students and assured them that he would do everything possible to address the issue of exploitative reading room facilities and the high charges they face.

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The LG subsequently convened a meeting with DDA officers and instructed them to identify community centres located inside or near student hubs across the city that could be converted into libraries and reading rooms for student use, the statement read.

Works had started in full swing at the Rajendra Nagar centre and were supposed to be completed by Friday. However, due to GRAP restrictions, it was delayed and is now expected to be completed by the end of this month, it stated.

This centre will serve thousands of students from the Rajendra Nagar-Patel Nagar-Karol Bagh coaching hub, while the Adhchini centre will cater to students from the JNU, Katawaria Sarai, Ber Sarai, and IIT Delhi areas, the statement said.

The centres in Rohini, close to North Campus, Vikaspuri, and Dwarka will not only serve students in the vicinity but will also provide space for senior citizens who often face space constraints.

According to the statement, the new facilities will also have a small cafeteria and a gym.

As per the LG's directions, the DDA will be responsible for the civil infrastructure and furnishing of these libraries and reading rooms, while universities will be tasked with running them, it said.

Books will be sourced through various means, including CSR initiatives and philanthropy, while the cafeteria and gym will meet the other necessary needs of students visiting these facilities, it added.

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