Navi Mumbai: NMMC takes reading habit in slums through public libraries

Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is taking a number of measures to preserve the reading habit and culture among citizens of the city. In its recent move, the civic body is now planning to make libraries available in slums. The initiative will provide them a platform to read books, the civic body officials say.

Reportedly, there are around 41 slums in the city and even the civic body runs schools around them. As per the plan, a corner of the school premises will be reserved for a library.

In the last few months, the civic body has taken steps like setting up a library in buses and providing books in Covid Care Centres.

The library at the Covid Care Centre at Vashi Exhibition Centre had received a good response from patients and many of them shared views stating that reading good books helped them to recover fast from Covid infection.

Now, the civic body is planning to take the reading habit in slums where not much opportunity is available to the people living there.

NNMC believes that the right of reading books should not be limited to city dwellers. The initiative will take the reading habit among slum dwellers. To mark the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar, the civic body has prepared a special plan to set up libraries for the masses.

According to NMMC, they have taken a number of measures to preserve reading culture during the last one year. However, all these developments seem to be happening only in urban areas.

The administration noticed that the rural and slum areas of the civic jurisdiction are being neglected. There are 41 slums in Navi Mumbai and a major part of the population resides in slums.

While city slums have got infrastructure over the 30 years, there are still no libraries for the people of slums.

Municipal commissioner Abhijeet Bangar has directed to determine the location of the library.