Mangaluru: The renovated Town Hall was finally inaugurated by the district minister in-charge here, on November 14. The programme began with an invocation. Deputy Mayor Purushotam Chitrapur welcomed the gathering.
Minister Ramanath Rai garlanded Jawaharlal Nehru’s Bust along with other dignitaries. Addressing the gathering, Rai said that in olden days, holding programmes or functions in the Town Hall was a matter of prestige and people would wait for available date to book the hall for their functions. “But later, many party halls came up in the city and the popularity of the Town Hall decreased. Even the maintenance of the hall was not uptothe mark. Now, after 1998, we have once again renovated the Town Hall with all the modern equipments,” said Rai.
He further said that there were rumours and allegations from the people for the delay in renovating the hall. “But we decided to inaugurate it on November 14, and as per that we have completed the work and inaugurated the hall on the Children’s day. Because of the negligence of some of the officers, the renovation work was delayed.” He further said, “As we are celebrating the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, we had planned some programmes for the children. Today, we were supposed to hold a children’s festival but due to some anti-social elements who have spoiled the peace in the district, we are unable to do it. “
Speaking on the occasion, deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim said that the Town Hall looks very beautiful with all the modern amenities. It is the duty of the people to maintain it well. He also said that the hall is fully air-conditioned and people have to be appointed to take care of the hall. “This is the 50th year and we want to maintain it for its centenary. If we take care of the hall, we can retain its beauty till the next 50 years,” he added.
Minister Abhaychandra Jain said that when the Town hall was renovated in 1998, A B Ibrahim was the commissioner of Mangaluru City Corporation and now, when it has been renovated once again in 2015, he is the DC of DK district. He further said, “Chief minister Siddaramaiah has granted funds for the development of the district and he is the first CM to grant funds to the district. The Town hall is a prestige of the district and we need to see that it is well maintained.”
Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake speaking on the occasion said that the state government has given grants for the total development of the district. “Now, Mangaluru is in the list of 100 cities which are in the Smart City project. In the first year, 20 cities will be selected for the first phase of the project.” He also said that Town hall is the heart of the people of the city. “When the renovation work was going on, there was negative publicity about it but we have completed the work on time and now it is ready for public use.”
MLA J R Lobo delivered the presidential address. Mayor Jacintha Alfred, MLA Moideen Bava, MLC Ivan D’Souza, MUDA Chairman Ibrahim Kodijal and others were also present.
