CHENNAI: The decision taken to shift the Anna Centenary Library from Kotturpuram to the DPI complex in Nungambakkam is a well considered policy decision and hence not amenable to judicial review, the Madras High Court was inforfmed on Thursday.In its counter-affidavit filed in response to a batch of writ petitions challenging the shifting, the government said that the DPI complex was the educational hub of the city and was now going to have Integrated Knowledge Park. Majority of the colleges, schools and other educational institutions were located in the vicinity of Nungambakkam.The campus was considered to be in the heart of the city and major residential areas were located within 15 km radius. It would be easily accessible by all modes of city transportation.The new library proposed in the campus would be designed and constructed in a manner which would in no way be inferior to the Anna Library and would include further infrastructure required. The institutions located in and around Kotturpuram had their own libraries fully equipped with academic/research collections to cater to the needs of students and others. In such a situation, the establishment of the library at Kotturpuram had been found to be superfluous in nature, the counter said.The advantages of having a multi-speciality padiatric hospital in the place of the library would be of tremendous value to the city populace.There was no government-run multi-speciality children’s hospital in Chennai. To save public money, the government had proposed to shift the library to Nungambakkam. The bona fide exercise of executive power could not be assailed and sought to be interfered with lightly in the garb of public interest writ petitions. The elected government being the representative of people and having the mandate of the people was entitled to take a policy decision keeping in mind the people’s welfare, the counter added.Plea for Panel to Verify Charges Against Govt Meanwhile, a writ plea has been made in the Madras High Court by Kavignar Ilayabarathi of Mylapore to appoint a committee/ advocate-commissioner, headed by a retired judge of the High Court, to find out the dwindling facilities available in the Anna Centenary Library in Kotturpuram. The first bench has directed the government to file its reply by March 13.Senior counsel P Wilson submitted that while passing orders on the petition from Ilayabarathi, the bench on January 19 this year had directed the government not to withdraw facilities provided to the library and such withdrawal, if any, would be viewed seriously. But even after this order, the government had been violating the same and in fact it was attempting to retrench the staff and indulging in similar other activities leading to its closure.
Comments
0 comment