The Hindu : Karnataka News : President to inaugurate auditorium in Gulbarga

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Wednesday, Dec 31, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

President to inaugurate auditorium in Gulbarga

T.V. Sivanandan

It will fulfil a long-pending need of artistes in the district

FINAL TOUCHES: The inside of the ranga mandira in Gulbarga.

GULBARGA: One of the long-pending needs of Gulbarga district will be fulfilled on January 7 when President Pratibha Patil inaugurates a ranga mandira the foundation stone for which was laid in the 1980s.

The ranga mandira will be a New Year’s gift to artistes of the district who all these years did not have a proper platform to exhibit their talent.

The ranga mandira, originally estimated to be completed at a cost of Rs 1.10 crore, was completed at a cost of Rs. 6.05 crore due to inordinate delay and cost escalation.

The foundation stone was laid by the then Chief Minister late Ramakrishna Hegde but lack of commitment on the part of the governments stalled the project, and the actual construction began only in 1995.

The ranga mandira’s design was changed on more than two occasions leading to escalation in cost. Originally, the seating capacity of the ranga mandira was 600 and later it was increased to 1,000. As per the original estimates, the building did not have provision for air-conditioning, advanced sound system and lighting arrangements. All these were included in the later years when M. Mallikarjun Kharge was the district in-charge Minister. The work changed hands from the Public Works Department to a private contractor and finally to the Land Army.

Located in the heart of the city on the main road from the railway station to the super market, the ranga mandira has been aesthetically designed to suit the requirements of the artistes to stage their performances with all the latest gadgets and lighting arrangements. The auditorium now has acoustics and an aesthetic interior fully air-conditioned.

The ranga mandira has a capacity to seat 690 in the ground floor and another 300 in the first floor. Another feature is a 250 kVA power generator to ensure continuous power supply. The Land Army has also provided a 500 kVA transformer for quality power supply.

A spokesperson of the Land Army said that the stage has been provided with the latest lighting facility, wooden floor and motorised curtains. The sound system is provided by JBL and Shur of the U.S. The auditorium has sound-proof false ceiling.

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