BHOPAL: It is a development that is sure to come as a music to ears of bibliophiles. In this digital age, the city would get a state-of-the-art library.

The library will be constructed on 1,74,240 sq ft of land in Arera Colony near Subhash Excellence School, said additional chief secretary, school education department, S R Mohanti. Already, the state government has given a go-ahead to state education department for it. The library in the state capital will be constructed at a cost of Rs 35 crore.

The government has received a blueprint of architecture for the library from School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Bhopal and awaits an approval from chief secretary Anthony deSa. Besides boasting of state-of-the art technology, it will have a separate section for children. Once completed, the library will be equipped with world information resources, tools, services, instruction and programmes that will empower students, members to read, explore, collaborate, learn and create. They library, officials say, will offer a 'safe and dynamic environment, a community space for conversation and discovery and will be on a cusp of change'.

"The chief secretary has to approve architecture and it will be done in coming days. The idea is to establish a library the state can be proud of. The state government has sanctioned Rs 35 crore and tenders will soon be floated to begin work on it," Mohanti told TOI.