Rawalpindi’s first ‘street library’ shelved

Books end up in office storage as structure dismantled

RAWALPINDI:

A street library located in the Miyawaki forest near Rialto Cinema Bridge on Murree Road, which was hailed as the first-ever in the garrison city, has shut down.

The library structure was dismantled and relocated to the office storage on orders of the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA). Meanwhile, the initiative to establish a second street library at Committee Chowk has also been put on hold.

The library was established when Tariq Murtaza was the RDA chairman. It housed a collection of books acquired with a budget Rs500,000 million. The books were on historical, Islamic and political figures. The library was established with a budget of Rs1.2 million.

The street library lasted for a span of one year, serving as a resource of knowledge for families and young visitors exploring the Miyawaki forest.

At the start of the year, though, the library’s glass was broken amid protests in the city.

A plan to renovate the library was approved before being unceremoniously dropped. Shortly after, the books were relocated to storage.

The project for a second street library at Committee Chowk, which had been approved with a budget of Rs1.5 million, was similarly abandoned and the allocated funds were subsequently returned.

Rawalpindi was once known for its libraries, particularly from the 1960s to the mid-1990s. During this period, there were three libraries situated in Saddar, four along Murree Road, with an additional library in the cantonment area, and one library under the municipal corporation’s jurisdiction.

Over time, these libraries faded away, with only the library located in the cantonment still standing. However, access to it is limited for the youth due to various constraints and regulations.

Back in the day, mobile libraries and markets would appear on Sundays along the sidewalks in Saddar. These installations were once found on Kashmir Road, Hyder Road, Bank Road, and Massi Gate Roads.

Among these roadside libraries, eight have ceased to operate, leaving behind only two such libraries that emerge every Sunday. These two libraries are located on Kashmir Road and Bank Road, with one joining the other.

On the sidewalks adjacent to these libraries, a diverse range of books can be found from fiction to non-fiction covering historical, Islamic and sectarian topics as well as autobiographies of political leaders, general knowledge, food, cooking, exercise, and even comics.

Arshad Mehmood, who runs the footpath (pavement) library on Kashmir while speaking to The Express Tribune said “Reading habits are on the wane with a domino effect on book sales.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2023.