Nabarangpur, Nov 26: The Town Hall (Shastri Bhavan) located on the main road of Nabarangpur town is currently in a dilapidated condition. The municipality has planned to demolish this 61-year-old building. It has been learned that an auditorium will be constructed at the site at an estimated cost of around ₹2 crore.
This Shastri Bhavan was inaugurated in 1964 by the then Chief Minister, the late Dr. Sadashiv Tripathy. During the inauguration ceremony, the play Samadhi was staged for three consecutive days on the Shastri Bhavan stage. Over the past 61 years, several meetings and events have been held here under the municipality’s administration. Many dignitaries, including former Chief Ministers and Governors, have also visited this hall. However, due to lack of proper maintenance, the building has become extremely rundown.
Despite spending over ₹3 crore on its repair and maintenance, it now resembles a haunted house. It has not been painted for a long time, nor does it have any modern facilities. The condition of the toilets is too poor to describe. Because of the deteriorated state of Shastri Bhavan, most events are now being held in private halls.
When contacted on this matter, Nabarangpur Municipal Executive Officer Dr. Ashok Kumar Karna stated that there is a plan to completely demolish the Town Hall and construct a state-of-the-art auditorium in its place. A budget of ₹2 crore has been allocated for this purpose. The plan includes building the auditorium with basement parking facilities. He also informed that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared and will soon be sent to the state government for approval. However, when the project will actually be implemented remains to be seen.
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