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In the company of bats

Jayaraj Manepalli

Official apathy has transformed the Jashuva Kalapranganam into a den for anti-social activities

VINUKONDA (GUNTUR DT.): Many years ago, renowned poet Jashuva hailing from this town had written a compilation with the title `Gabbilam' (bat). Official apathy has turned the `Jashuva Kalapranganam,' built in memory of the great poet, a haunting ground for the bats.

Right from the day of constructing the culture complex, officials had conflicting ideas. In 1981, the then District Collector T. Gopala Rao wanted it to be a Kalyana Madapam. Successive district Collectors came out with different plans -- Avula Chengappa wanted it to be a gallery and an open auditorium, while others wanted it to be a function hall.

Later, District Collector Chaya Ratan finalised the plan to construct a gallery and an open-air auditorium. She instructed the officials to prepare detailed estimates.

Before the estimates could be finalised, she was transferred. The work got stalled and lack of uniformity in ideas led to the delay in completion of the work and remembering Jashuva had been confined to garlanding his statue outside the hall every year.

Jinxed complex

The complex also has one more thing to its credit -- that of having more than one plaque announcing the stone-laying ceremony. While it was Koneru Ranga Rao who laid the stone in 1994 as Minister, Kodela Siva Prasada Rao did the same job again in 1999.

Finally, the construction of the hall was completed, but it was never officially inaugurated. Today, a few government programmes like training vidya volunteers, health workers and other short-term programmes are conducted.

However, there is no electricity, chairs, toilets or public address system. Absence of caretaker has converted the hall into a den for anti-social activities during nights.

"We have prepared estimates for Rs.10 lakhs to renovate the hall and provide basic amenities like electricity, tube lights, fans, chairs, toilets and a public address system," Vinukonda Municipal Commissioner M. Jaswantha Rao told The Hindu . "If the proposals are cleared, it would be a fitting tribute to the Navayuga Kavi Chakravarthi Gurram Jashuva," he said.

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