Commissioning of Knowledge centres in Tiruchi witnesses more delay

The commissioning of knowledge and study centres, dedicated facilities for aspiring students of competitive examinations, at Cantonment and Palakarai in Tiruchi, has run into further delay.

The commissioning of knowledge and study centres, dedicated facilities for aspiring students of competitive examinations, at Cantonment and Palakarai in Tiruchi, has run into further delay.

The civil work on the knowledge centres, which commenced in May 2022, was completed a month back. But, the commissioning of the centres was delayed due to unforeseen challenges. However, the civic body expects to commission the centres for the students by the end of June.

“Early commissioning of these centres would have helped students prepare for the upcoming competitive exams or at least provide a facility for poor students to study,” said M. Rajesh, a resident.

According to the officials, the library officials are in the process of preparing the list of books to be kept at the centres. “The list will be prepared and finalised in a few weeks, and once the books are stocked, the centres will be opened,” said a senior Corporation official.

The knowledge and study centres were built on around 4,000 square feet of land each, under the Smart City Mission at an outlay of ₹5 crore, to train marginalised students and unemployed youth for competitive examinations and make available all books free of cost.

Each centre will have a common study hall, a reading hall to accommodate around 60 persons, a training centre to conduct skill development programmes and a library to promote reading habit. A room for a librarian, closed-circuit television cameras, a control room and a sanitary complex were among other facilities provided in the knowledge centre.

The library will feature around 10,000 books, both in hard copy and digital formats, on communication and interpersonal skills development and study materials on civil services, National Eligibility and Entrance Test, Railway Recruitment Board, banking, engineering and other competitive examinations. Classes for competitive examinations and mentorship programmes will be conducted free of cost at the centre.