Ride & read: 'Library on Wheels' starts on 2 inter-city trains

Commuters travelling in the coaches of monthly season ticket holders of two popular inter- city express trains can now borrow books free of cost from libraries set up on-board and return them before alighting.

'Library on Wheels', an initiative of the Central Railway (CR), was inaugurated Monday on Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen and Mumbai-Manmad Panchvati Express trains, which run daily, an official said.

The library was inaugurated on the occasion of the birth anniversary of former President A P J Abdul Kalam, which is also observed as "Vachan Prerna Din" (Inspire to Read Day).

The expenditure of the "Library on Wheels" will be borne by the Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha, a body under the administrative control of the Maharashtra government, said CR chief spokesperson Sunil Udasi.

The sanstha will depute one volunteer each on the trains who will distribute books among the season ticket holders free of cost and collect them before their alight at their final destination, he said.

The official said the project was envisaged after a meeting between Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Maharashtra Minister for Education Vinod Tawde.

"Our minister Piyush Goyal agreed to this novel idea and conveyed the approval to implement the scheme. Therefore, mobile libraries have started functioning from Monday in Deccan Queen Express and Panchvati Express," Udasi said.

Tawde and senior CR officials were present when the Library on Wheels' project was inaugurated at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).

"The dignitaries also interacted with the passengers of these two trains who appreciated this step of the state Government and the Indian Railways and said this will inculcate reading habit among people," Udasi said.