Renovation work on Guru Nanak Auditorium begins

The government has started the work of renovating Guru Nanak Auditorium at a cost of about Rs 6.50 crore without making any effort to popularise the City Centre, the place which also houses some other commercial buildings like markets, a mall, etc, among public.

Situated in the City Centre and close to the Golden Temple, the entire area of the centre has never been the first choice of residents, said Surinder Singh, a trader. Mostly visitors pay a visit to the centre for a stay in budget hotels.

The centre, which also houses the city’s first luxury hotel, was set up about five decades ago opposite the Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT). It lost its appeal among the local populace after the coming up of many other high-end shopping malls, commercial complexes on the Mall and Ranjit Avenue which offers state-of-the-art facilities.

On the other hand, the City Centre is still struggling for basic amenities, including a metalled road, street lights, a rainwater drainage system, etc. Over the years, the government has failed to introduce even a proper rainwater drainage system in the absence of which commuters have to avoid commuting on the stretch for several days together.

To be completed in about nine months, renovation work on the city’s biggest government auditorium has been started at a cost of Rs 6.50 crore, said Sandeep Singh, Superintendent Engineer, Municipal Corporation.

He said the auditorium, constructed by the Amritsar Improvement Trust in the 1980s, had developed cracks with its RCC structure getting damaged and interior becoming outdated.

Karan Kumar, SDO, MC, said during its renovation, the entire acoustics of the building, chairs, sound system, outdated wiring, stage, stage lighting would be replaced. New seating arrangements for approximately 1,000 people would be made available.

He said structure engineer MM Syal from Chandigarh visited the premises and suggested injection grouting in beams and columns besides carrying out repairs to strengthen columns and beams of the structure. Besides re-plaster, a new sound system with AV control would be made available.

After its completion, those who organize mega events and public meetings within the city will get a relief. The auditorium has the largest seating capacity in the city. But due to lack of its maintenance for a long time, it has been in a dilapidated condition.