Navi Mumbai: NMMC’s central library to have facilities for reading books in Braille

The central library in Sanpada, being planned by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), promises to be accessible to all. It will have books in Braille, for the visually impaired, and the physically challenged will be able to access and read books easily. The civic body has planned to make it one of the best in the country, by housing a range of books useful for this day and age.

After taking the library to slum dwellers, the civic body has decided to create adequate facilities for the blind and the disabled at its central library. “There will be adequate facilities for the blind and disabled so that they can read books of their interest and choice,” said Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar. He added that inclusiveness is key to keeping the reading habit alive in the city.

“NMMC has been taking a number of measures to preserve the habit of reading and the ideological development of the city. As part of it, around 19 libraries have already been started in the civic jurisdiction and more than one lakh books have been made available,” said Bangar.

The central library is being developed near Juinagar railway station in Sanpada on a CIDCO plot. “The architecture of the four-storied library building has been planned after studying the architecture of modern libraries from various countries, including Germany and Europe,” said a senior official from the NMMC. However, he added that the look of the central library will be different from others and will be a welcoming spot where one can sit and read.

While Bangar has directed officials to equip the library with books in various languages, being mindful of the multi-lingual citizens of Navi Mumbai, the Let’s Read Foundation, a Navi Mumbai-based NGO that promotes reading habits among all groups, is assisting the civic body in the selection of books.

Prafulla Wankhede, founder, and trustee of the Let's Read Foundation said that the selection of books would make this library different from others. “Instead of merely filling the shelves with only history and political books, the proposed central library will have books based on the needs of today, like on the latest scientific developments, blockchain, start-ups, among others,” said Wankhede.

In addition, the library will have an auditorium, a state-of-the-art audio and e-library and adequate parking for its patrons.