Ludhiana: Amid the growing demand from students and residents alike to extend the working hours of Panjab University Extension Library (PUEL) and to keep it open during the weekends and holidays as well, UGC has written to Panjab University to address these and other complaints.

An email has been sent to the PU registrar to look into the matter and take necessary actions on “anomalies in the working of Panjab University Extension Library.”

An email from UGC secretary Manish R Joshi and joint secretary Ashima Mangala was shot in response to the complaint from Brij Bhushan Goyal. Goyal is the organising secretary of SCD Govt College Alumni Association and a social activist representing the public, alumni and students.

He pointed out that the library houses about 1.8 lakh books along with a number of newspapers, journals and magazines. It, however, remained underutilised despite being a treasure trove of books and knowledge because of restricted timings and days, he stated.

The public library was set up in April 1960 to usher in an environment of scholastic culture in the industrial hub of Ludhiana. It was expected to cater to thousands of students of various colleges affiliated to Panjab University, in particular, besides other institutions of higher education within a radius of 60 km through membership.

Unlike most libraries the world over that remain open all days and have generous hours for public to visit, PUEL is open only on five days. It remains closed on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and closes at 5pm, which is also in sharp contrast to PU campus library that is open on all weekdays and operates from 9am to 9pm, it was pointed out.

Academics, too, advocated the need for availability to students. “Students need to be able to access the extension library in the evenings and weekends,” said Gursharanjit Singh Sandhu, principal, SCD Government College, adding that during his time it was the place the students used to go to for studies.

“We used to get our lunch packed and head to study at the extension library. In our days, books were sold in dollars. So we used to study from books at the library,” he said.

Dr Suman Lata, principal, Govt College for Girls, echoed the same need. “The extension library should remain open on weekends as well, because students who have more time to study during weekends and holidays, can visit the library,” she said.