The mobile library program run by the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro is set to be temporarily halted at the beginning of the new year.
According to Shamim Al Mamun, director of the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, the project’s 25-year term has come to an end.
Due to the transition period for extending the program, the service will be paused for a few days, he said.
Meanwhile, readers across the country staged protests demanding the continuation of the mobile library.
In a statement, the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro said the mobile library program has been working for 25 years to enhance the intellectual and cultural development of the nation.
The program operates 76 vehicles, serving 3,200 areas nationwide, essentially functioning as small libraries.
The program has approximately 500,000 readers, both regular and irregular.
However, the cost of running such a vast fleet is beyond the financial capacity of the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro alone, it said.
Although the vehicles and books are owned by the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, funds for staffing and maintenance have to be raised from various sources to sustain the program.
Shamim said for the past six years, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs has been providing financial assistance for the program in two-year phases.
After completing the first phase, the ministry extended its support twice, each for two years.
The third phase of the project is set to end on Tuesday, the last day of the year.
Staff appointments are based on the project term, and as with previous phases, their employment will end that day.
All financial obligations, including four months of additional salary, have been arranged for the staff.
The director added that toward the end of the previous government’s tenure, it was learned that the Ministry of Cultural Affairs would no longer finance the project.
However, under the current government, indications emerged that the ministry might fund the project for another two years.
Amid this uncertainty, it took some time to process the new phase of the project.
As a result, although the third phase will end on Tuesday, the formalities for obtaining approval for the next phase from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs will take some time, causing the program to remain suspended temporarily.
The Bishwo Shahitto Kendro further said that it informed staff in advance and assured them that every effort would be made to secure approval for the new phase as quickly as possible.
However, some mobile library staff have demanded that the program continue uninterrupted.
Since December 2018, the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro has been running the mobile library program with support from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
