Shahdol’s Manas Bhawan was set for a makeover with Rs 60 lakh from DMF funds

Manas Bhawan, in the municipality complex at the district headquarters, was then 26 years old and had been waiting for a makeover, which it was soon to receive. The building was in a dilapidated state, with ceilings peeling and hanging in places and chairs broken. The contractor who won the tender began work on September 4. The renovation was being carried out with District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds, and Rs 60 lakh had been sanctioned.

Inaugurated by Digvijaya Singh

The building was about to complete 26 years. It was inaugurated on June 30, 1999, by the then Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh. Former Union Minister Dalbir Singh, Sohagpur MLA Krishnapal Singh and Anuppur MLA Bisahulal Singh were special guests, while Ajay Singh, then Panchayat and Rural Development Minister, presided. The municipality had built Manas Bhawan for multiple purposes.

Given auditorium status in 2008

To develop it as an auditorium, the then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan performed the foundation-stone ceremony on July 30, 2008. Dalpat Singh Paraste was the MP and Chhotelal Saravgi the Sohagpur MLA, and Satyabhama Gupta was the municipal president. The auditorium was built with special funds and completed on January 10, 2010, and was inaugurated by the then state minister Jai Singh Marawi.

Beautification work began

The municipality assigned the renovation according to the tender. Contractor Rajesh Katare, who was overseeing the work, said he had been given the contract for the walls, ceiling and stage of the auditorium at a cost of Rs 38 lakh. The remaining work, such as sound, chairs and stage decoration, was to be done by another contractor. He said work had started and was likely to be completed in three months, after which Manas Bhawan would look completely new.