After a gap of nearly five years, the Mallikarjun Mansur Kalabhavan, the municipal auditorium here is ready for its reopening.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will unveil the renovated auditorium on Saturday. Minister in-charge of the district Dinesh Gundu Rao and others will attend the programme.
Since its inauguration on November 20, 1978, Kalabhavan was the epicenter of cultural activities here. However, as the time passed by, a demand for renovating the auditorium adding new facilities and infrastructure arose.
Though the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government sanctioned renovation work in 2011, it was hampered due to the paucity of funds. Even the former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar could not ensure the completion of works during his tenure. After the Congress came to power, the assurances given by the then Minister in-charge of the district Santosh Lad too remained on paper.
Prolonged delay in completing the renovation work drew public criticism as the cultural activities were hampered severely.
However, the works were expedited after Mr. Rao was appointed Minister in-charge of the district nearly one year ago. Now the auditorium has central air-conditioner, latest lighting and sound equipment, hi-tech seating facility and stage, green room, new toilet blocks and other such facilities. At a press conference in Hubballi, Mr. Shettar claimed the credit for sanctioning the Kalabhavan renovation works. But presspersons reminded him that the BJP government could not complete the works for five long years and the Congress government completed the works within two years.
