Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Feb 20: The district Bal Bhavan which used to witness crowds of children is enveloped in eerie silence now. It has been a year since the Bal Bhavan was used. It has not been of any utility now.

The district Bal Bhavan at Brahmagiri-Bannanje road had been started in 1997 in about 1.02 acres of land. Because of COVID, the Bal Bhavan has not been reopened for the children.

Equipment like the swing, slide, toy ladder, turning seats, slippery cave etc have been installed in the Bal Bhavan premises. But because of non-maintenance and non-use, they have rusted and are in a decaying state. The theatre had been built next to the Bal Bhavan three years ago at a cost of Rs 14 lac, which is also lying vacant without being used, the people have been pointing out.

Each year, activities like summer camp, art camp, weekend activity, Balashree award camp etc were held here in the past. A grant of Rs 56.75 lac has been released for implementing the projects of children's library and administrative building. These works have been completed but they are not open to the public now.

Chikkamma Basavaraj, state Bal Bhavan Society president, told Daijiworld that the society is in need of land in all the taluks in the district to construct Bal Bhavans. She said that if the district administration sanctions land in the name of Bal Bhavan, Bal Bhavan activities can be extended everywhere. She said that a grant of Rs 18 lac received during the Corona period is pending. "Out of 30 districts, Bal Bhavan is being run in 18 own buildings. We hope to open them again in April. Last time we received a grant of ten crore rupees and we have put up a demand for a grant of Rs 17 crore this time. We plan to present good programmes," she explained.