Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has proposed an almost double hike in public library fees and deposits.
The law committee of the PCMC tabled the proposal to increase the annual fee of libraries from Rs125 to Rs300 and deposits from Rs50 to Rs200. There are 16 public libraries run by PCMC at various places.
With the yield from local body tax, the main source of revenue, on the decline, the PCMC is looking for other sources of income. Public libraries were started in Pimpri-Chinchwad in 1973 when there was a municipal council. Then, Rs2 was the library fee and Re1 entry fee. At that time the average cost of a book was between Rs80 and Rs100.
Later, PCMC cited the higher cost of books and increased fees, with deposit of Rs50, annual fees at Rs125 per month and entry fees at Rs10, said the PCMC public relations officer.
The expenditure for running these libraries is increasing day by day and the prices of books have gone up, so again PCMC has decided to increase charges of the libraries. According the decision taken by the law committee, the deposit will be Rs200, entry fee will be Rs30 and annual fee Rs300.
PCMC has estimated that it will raise funds of Rs76,500 from each library and get Rs12.24 lakh per year as revenue from these libraries. Earlier PCMC got only Rs3 lakh revenue from these libraries.
The law committee has recommended the proposal for approval of the general body.
