Thevar Hall, named after the former Chairman of the then Tiruchirapalli Municipality, Rathinavelu Thevar, is undoubtedly one of the best auditoriums in the city to cater to the needs of all sections of the society. However, its poor maintenance has dismayed the users. The hall, under the control of Tiruchi City Corporation, is being offered for rent to the public. It charges Rs.15,000 a day in addition to the electricity charges used by the users.
The hall with the capacity of 650 seats is generally booked for staging classical dance and cultural performances. Since the rent is relatively low when compared to private halls in the city, people come forward to book the hall.
But, many complain that the hall is gradually losing its sheen mainly due to poor maintenance. While some of the seats have worn out, the cover of several other seats have tattered over the period.
Worn out seats are seen in many rows. It often forces the spectators to search for better seats for comfortable seating.
Similarly, the lift, which is supposed to support the people particularly elders, women and children to reach the hall in third floor, is in disuse for quite some time. Users also express dismay over the poor upkeep of sanitary facilities in the hall.
M. Venkatraj, Councillor of 34{+t}{+h}ward, said that the Tiruchi Corporation had failed to maintain the hall well. Had the officials taken enough efforts to maintain the hall, it could have been a premium auditorium in the city. Due to poor maintenance, users were slowly staying away from Thevar hall.
A senior official of the Corporation said steps were taken to resume the operation of the lift. If the seats were damaged, steps would be taken to repair and replace them. Construction of kitchen and dining hall had been undertaken so as to rent out the Thevar hall for wedding ceremonies too, the officer said.
