Slow renovation of Rabindra Bhawan: Directorate incurring huge revenue loss

GUWAHATI: The Department of Cultural Affairs, Assam has been incurring huge loss due to slow progress of renovation works of Rabindra Bhawan. The auditorium used to hold 20/25 programmes every month when it was open.

The delay in the completion of the renovation of the Bhawan is despite the timely release of the entire amount for the work – Rs 5.40 crore. The Bhawan was closed from October 2017, but the renovation work was not started soon after. It began only from March this year. Even after around eight months, the renovation and modernization work of the auditorium is far from being over.

Sources in the Directorate of Cultural Affairs say that the renovation work of the auditorium is set to be completed on December this year. However, sources generally do not rely on such dates being given by the directorate. Earlier the Directorate was supposed to reopen the auditorium on November 5 this year so as make it available for use in programmes related to the death anniversary of Dr Bhupen Hazarika. However, the Directorate has missed that date.

Works being done in the Bhawan are repair of seepage on walls, refurnishing chairs, construction of additional urinals, remodeling of the stage and the ceiling, etc. The work is being done by PWD (Building). Art-loving people in the State are a frustrated lot at the slow progress of the renovation work. The auditorium, they say, used to hold 20/25 programmes, including international ones, every month when it was open. This is a huge loss, both in terms of revenue and cultural, they say.

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