No basic facilities provided: Aspirants protest at Jharkhand library over lack of drinking water and Wi-Fi; Librarian counters claims, insists services are available

Ranchi: Aspirants preparing for various competitive examinations raised concerns over the lack of basic facilities, such as drinking water, Wi-Fi and essential reading materials, at the Sports Authority of Jharkhand (SAJHA) central library located at Birsa Munda Football Stadium in Morhabadi.Students alleged that despite charging a monthly fee, since its inauguration in Jan 2024, the library failed to provide basic facilities. Several aspirants preparing for examinations such as JPSC, SSC, banking and railway recruitment tests said the absence of these facilities made it difficult for them to prepare effectively. The students on Friday staged a protest in front of the building, highlighting the issues.Amardeep, an aspirant preparing for PhD entrance exams, said, “It lacks a basic facility such as drinking water. We come to read here. The authorities should at least provide drinking water, as we are paying for the facilities we use at the library,” he said.Alok Kumar Thakur, a civil service aspirant, said that the library do not have a functional Wi-Fi connection and relevant books essential for their preparation.The library was established in 2024 by SAJHA in collaboration with the state tourism, art, culture and youth affairs department to provide research facilities and study areas to students in the city at an affordable fee.Refuting the claims, librarian Prem Prakash said that the library had a 24x7 water facility and a Wi-Fi connection. “It may happen that the Wi-Fi connectivity is not functional due to network issues, but their claim that it does not exist is not true. The library also has around 20,000 books to help them prepare for the exams,” he said.