Stating that Delhi did not have a large auditorium, Union Culture Minister of State (Independent Charge) Prahlad Singh Patel told the Lok Sabha on Monday that an 1,800-seat “National Centre for the Performing Arts” would be constructed at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).
The Minister’s reply to a question posed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Odisha Aparajita Sarangi comes in the wake of the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry (MoHUA) planning to redevelop the Central Vista, including demolishing and shifting the IGNCA from its current location on Man Singh Road to near Jamnagar House.
“As there is no large auditorium in Delhi with a large seating capacity, it was proposed by Ministry of Culture that a performing art auditorium may be constructed having seating capacity of 1,800 persons along with supporting public facilities like cafeteria, bookshop etc. in Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) premises. However, no final decision has been taken yet,” the Minister’s reply read.
The government’s plan to revamp the Central Vista and construct a new Parliament and common Central Secretariat is expected to get going in the coming months, with tenders for construction works expected to be floated by May, according to MoHUA officials.
‘Conceptual stage’
Meanwhile, on the question of a proposed “Indian Institute of Culture”, the Minister said, “Establishment of Indian Institute of Culture is at conceptual stage. As such no committee has been formed or constituted at present. The concept is being formalised.”
