Now, after a 12-year-long wait, Kalamandal, a one-stop destination for all cultural activities in Odisha, is likely to come up in the Capital city soon as foundation-stone of the Rs45-crore project would be laid in the first week of June. As per the Government’s blueprint, the Kalamandal would have 11 sections such as lalit Kala Mandal, art and handicraft museum, Sangeet Kalamandal, artist’s village, heritage park, children’s park, landscape court, open air exhibition court, cafeteria, guest house and staff quarters.
A special air-conditioned gallery would be built for art exhibitions. A general gallery and open air space would also be kept free. The Kalamandal would also feature two exhibition theatres, one with an audience capacity of 2,000 and the other with 500. There would also be an open-air stage with an audience capacity of 500. Arrangements would be made for training sessions for artists in the artist’s village and living in guesthouses.
Once completed, the Kalamandal would share the burden with the Rabindra Mandap. A recent review meeting on the project presided over by Culture and Tourism Minister Ashok Panda had revealed that for this Rs45-crore project the Centre has sanctioned Rs 4.3 crore and the State Government would spend the rest amount. The Government would try to complete the project within the specified timeframe. The project would be constructed by the Idco. The Chief Minister would lay its foundation-stone, the Minister said.
It may be noted that the project was initially envisioned as far back as in 2003 for which the Centre had provided Rs2.3 crore while the State’s General Administration Department had allotted 10 acres of land near Gajapati Nagar in 2006. However, the project was stalled following a dispute on the ownership of the land. Years later, the court declared seven out of the ten acres of land as litigation-free. So, the project is now planned to be built on seven acres.