: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is going to set up six ‘socio cultural centres’ in the city on the lines of Delhi’s culture hub, the Mandi House complex.
These centres will be developed within existing district centres at Dwarka (Sector-11, area 10 acres), Rohini (District Centre-II, area 11.25 acres), Pitampura (Netaji Subhash Place, area 1.5 acres), Shahdara (Central Business District, area 1.5 acres), Mayur Vihar (District Centre, area 2 acres) and Vasant Kunj (near Sultan Garhi Tomb, area 11.25 acres), a DDA spokesperson said.
“The proposed centres would be centres of excellence for promotion of various visual arts such as painting, sculpture and ceramics and performing arts like music, dance and theatre,” the spokesperson said. “Each centre will have a specialised role in promoting and training people in visual and performing arts. Some centres may also provide training in culinary arts,” he said.
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The spokesperson said that at present, the Mandi House complex is the only major socio-cultural centre in Delhi. “The proposed socio-cultural centres to be developed by DDA would be on the lines of international facilities like Sydney Opera House and John F. Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts, Washington D.C. DDA is also studying the details of important socio cultural centres in India like the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai and Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal,” he said.
Operation
These centres will be developed, maintained and operated on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode by selected groups or corporate houses of repute, DDA said. “DDA would be the facilitator and the operations would be managed by a group of eminent persons who would ensure that the centres are operated and maintained as per the principles agreed to, so that these do not get converted to baraat ghars,” he said. “DDA would also permit co-naming of these centres along with the name selected by the developer,” he said.
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To ensure that the centres are self-financing, 60 per cent of the total floor area can be utilized for commercial, retail, hotels and other remunerative uses as per the Master Plan provisions, he said. “Revenue received from this would be utilized for operating facilities like state of the art auditoria, theatres, galleries, exhibition halls, recording studios, museums, etc., which would be developed on the remaining 40 per cent of the total floor area,” he said.“DDA will also hold discussions with similar institutions already functioning in the city,” the spokesperson said.