Paving way for his own wishes made around a year ago in Ranchi came true, President Pranab Mukherjee laid foundation stone of Rabindra Bhawan on Sunday on the site of erstwhile Town Hall.
In the presence of Governor Droupadi Murmu, Chief Minister Raghubar Das and other senior officials, the First Citizen of India also pushed button to lay foundation stone of the all new Haj House in the city.
“I must thank Chief Minister Raghubar Das for working on his promise of getting a Rabindra Bhawan constructed in the city on such a pace, which he had made to me during my visit to Ranchi in January last year on the occasion of ‘Bang Sahitya Sammelan’ at Khelgaon. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was a true non-official ambassador of Bengali and Indian culture to maximum number of countries in the world. I do believe Rabindra Bhawan in Ranchi will prove to be one of the finest centres of cultural harmony,” said Mukherjee after laying the foundations
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Expressing his profound pleasure after laying foundation stone of Haj House, the President said the religious centre remained once in a lifetime affair for Muslims.
“After locals of Saudi Arabia, India sends largest number of Muslims on the Haj every year, even ahead of Pakistan and Bangladesh which are Muslim majority neighbours. Once this Haj House is constructed, our Muslim brothers will not have to go to Kolkata for their documents and passports and other legal verifications. I thank Jharkhand Government for this,” said Mukherjee before he left for to offer prayers at Babadham Temple and to inaugurate a number of other development related projects.
Governor Droupadi Murmu expressed hope for timely completion of Haj House and Rabindra Bhawan with no compromise on quality. Notably, earlier Haj House constructed by the Government remained a talk of the town for its poor construction qualities and later got demolished.
The new building is coming up at a cost of over Rs 55 crore with having facilities of ticket booking and visa processing centres, apart from leisure and recreation centres and guestrooms under one roof.
“The State Government is very much on the path of development, and events like Momentum Jharkhand have opened new venues of investment in the State. Jharkhand is an amalgamation of many arts and cultures, and I am sure Rabindra Bhawan will take this unity of cultures to a new height,” said Murmu.
Chief Minister Raghubar Das focused on cultural diversity of the State and said that the government was working on the lines of ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’. “With no belief in appeasement, the Government is committed for development of all. This is why we have been running a number of other development related projects other than Union government directed skill development programmes,” said the CM.
Urban Development Minister CP Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Poddar and Ranchi MP Ram Tahal Choudhary, Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma, Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner Amit Khare, Urban Development Department Principal Secretary Arun Kumar Singh, Ranchi Mayor Asha lakra, Principal Secretary to the CM Sanjay Kumar and other officials were also present.
CP Singh on the occasion said that it was a proud moment for the State that the President was there to lay the foundation stones of two of the most important symbols of cultural harmony.
He assured of timely completion of both the buildings and said that the department had been working on a number of projects to make affordable housing a dream come true for all. “Pradhanmantri Awas Yojna was doing well in the State. Yet again, Selection of Ranchi to be developed as Smart City is also a matter of big pride for all of us,” added Singh.