library

youngsters

Thewill have Wi-Fi, newspapers, magazines and other books; vacant plot nearby becomes new trash dumping pointThe Kathriguppe Main Road stretch from Vidyapeeta Circle, towards Big Bazaar, is home to many Kannada film actors including Upendra, Yash, Rachita Ram, Duniya Vijay and others. But the pile of filth on the road that had been a prominent feature for the last two decades, was hardly reflective of the star-studded locality.Not only was the garbage dump yard a health hazard, heavy rains made the situation worse when water stagnated and this became a breeding ground for mosquitoes. A group ofdecided to do something about the situation and after trying many ways to clear the area, came up with a novel idea. In about 20 days, the conversion of the dump into a mini-library will be complete thanks to their efforts. The group that includes realtors, jewellery shop owners, private firm employees and students, has spent nearly `2 lakh on the project.“I had a store just next to the dump. People in vehicles would throw their rubbish. Some of this would land inside my shop. Some days back, we stood guard and asked passersby not to litter here. We sometimes parked our vehicles at the spot. But this was a temporary arrangement since we couldn’t keep an eye in the night and by mornings, the trash would return,” said jeweller Nataraj Abhinav R speaking to BM.Abhinav and his friends — DM Ravi Kumar, Chetan Devaraj, Pradeep Kumar, Anjan Jaysimha, T Mahendra and others — took matters into their own hands since they were immediate victims of the garbage and they were unable to find any help from the politicians they approached.“Work is in progress for the library which will be complete soon. The mini library will have newspapers, magazines and other books. The unit will also be a free Wi-Fi zone. Granites stones and branded tiles have been used to build the library. Pictures of all the Jnanapeeth awardees will be displayed. Many senior citizens come to the library and spend time reading books,” said realtor Ravi Kumar.Meanwhile, residents have found a new garbage dumping ground in a vacant plot a few meters away. If the owner of the plot fails to act, the plot is likely to become a permanent garbage collection point.