- In British Library, the assets are owned by the ICCR which is under the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
- Assets created with donor assistance in an establishment of a host country, is not usually repatriated, except when it is in foreign embassies / consulates. Here it is also an educational resource.
- The assets of the ICCR are Governmental assets and stripping of any asset from a State has to be backed by sound reasons and done only by following transparent procedures
- British Council, the funding agency has moved out and hence the implication is just that their financial support will not be there in future. The 'No Objection' from the British Council to transfer the books and furniture is welcome
- The Library Management is employed by the ICCR.
- It is the ICCR / Library Management that has the authority to negotiate the terms with the State Government, instead of taking cover under the British Council.
But ICCR’s silence to the requests from CM, members and even applications under RTI is suspicious.
- Unbundling and fragmentation now planned is to create chaos and kill the new establishment from the very beginning. At the same time, the act of just giving the books would look gracious, though virtually.
- The Government also has considerable stakes in the present library premises.
ICCR should transfer all the assets in the library to the State Government ‘as-is-where-is’ to form a new organization (say a Public Trust) and to restore normal operations immediately from the present premises
1 comment:
This is the most crucial time ever, the unsavoury leeches of the system will be most active now and we should realize that they can chip away at the defenses we have sought to build...Let's not digress from the main issue...Our issue is not re-employment, we need have no sentiments on the most undeserving of people who have tried to undermine the move to retain a library..all those true to the ethos of Trivandrum know that what we are looking to retain is an institution which is our window to the world . different from the ruined hierarchical set-ups that pass off as libraries in the state. Nobody to blame here again but the system, every set up has a group of persons who strive for excellence...
Post a Comment