PIL regarding container libraries filed in High Court

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court regarding the 'Container Library' in the gardens under the jurisdiction of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC).

The bench comprising Justice Mangesh Patil and Justice Prafulla Khubalkar, on Wednesday, have issued a notice to the District Collector, Municipal Commissioner, the Garden Superintendent of the Municipal Corporation, and the owners of Agro Nova Green Tech and Trimurti Agro companies. The next hearing for this PIL will take place after eight weeks.

What is the Petition?

In the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by former corporator Dr Asha Binwade through Adv Chandrakant Thombre, it is stated that various gardens under the jurisdiction of the CSMC are frequented by senior citizens, women, and youth for morning walks and exercise. To encourage reading among children, the idea of establishing a 'Container Library' was proposed. This concept was approved by the District Planning Committee (DPC) and the then Guardian Minister, approved the Municipal Corporation’s proposal seeking aid of Rs 5 crore for the purpose.

Tenders were invited in sealed envelopes for the 'Container Library' project. An estimate of Rs4.97 crore was approved for the project, and it was formally authorised in a meeting. In accordance with the requested 'E-tender', Agro Nova Green Tech, Trimurti Agro, and Ayan Infra submitted their bids. Out of these, Agro Nova Green Tech was awarded the work order.

Library replaced with kitchen and toilet

According to the tender, instead of the proposed library, only two containers were installed at Siddharth Garden. However, upon inspection, the petitioner found that these containers did not house a library, but instead contained a kitchen, toilet, and a sofa-bed setup. Besides, the cost of the containers was reported to be four times higher than expected.

The petitioner argues that these discrepancies indicate serious irregularities in the project. Despite submitting a memorandum to the sitting Guardian Minister and the Municipal Commissioner requesting action, no steps were taken. Consequently, Dr. Binwade filed a PIL in the high court.