Raviprasad Kamila/The Hindu

• ‘EC nod will be sought to start construction’
• Rs. 18-cr. bid approved for building construction
• Rs. 1 cr. allocated by district administration for the purpose

Mangalore, Apr 7: The Government has approved a bid for Rs. 18 crore to construct a “Ranga Mandira” at Kadri Hills here.

The Engineering Division of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat has issued the work order to a city-based contractor. But the election code of conduct has come in the way of starting the work, according to sources in the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat.

A senior panchayat official said that the work order was issued on April 2 morning and the dates for Assembly polls were announced in the afternoon. Efforts would be made to obtain the permission of the Election Commission to start work, he said.

“The project site is yet to be handed over to the contractor. If the Election Commission does not grant approval, work can be taken up only after the election process is completed by May-end. The work may be delayed further because it rains heavily from June.

Agreement

According to the agreement, the construction should be completed in two years from the day of starting work,” the official said.

Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, a member of the “ranga mandira” building construction committee, said that a proposal to construct the “mandira” had been made two decades ago and foundation stone laid five years ago. But work could not be taken up due to many reasons including financial constraints. Hence the code of conduct might not come in the way of taking up the work, he said.

Official sources said that the committee did not have the Rs. 18 crore required for constructing the building. It only had the Rs. 1 crore allocated by the district administration for the purpose, they said.

I.M. Vittala Murthy, Secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture, and Tourism, while inaugurating the 2007-2008 “Karavali Utsava” in Mangalore, had promised to release Rs. 1 crore for the building in the last financial year.

The Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited had promised to contribute Rs. 5 crore, and the Kannada Sahitya Parishat Rs. 1 crore provided it was allowed to house its office in the building, the sources said.

The committee plans to raise the remaining amount from donors and the Government.

The Government has reserved 3.78 acres of land in Kadri Hills for the building. The building, which will be constructed in an area of 1.47 lakh sq. ft., will have a cellar, ground floor and two storeys. The cellar will have two mini-halls each with a seating capacity of 300.

There will also be two audio-visual rooms each with a capacity to accommodate 200 persons.

The main central hall will have 800 seats on the ground floor. The first and second floors will have a seating capacity of 300 each.