The state government will reconstruct the 52-year-old Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir.

The state government plans to dismantle the northern side of the building that faces Akashvani and a new G+2 structure along with a basement will come up in place of the existing G+1 structure. The southern part of the building that houses the multi-purpose art gallery will not be touched.

Principal secretary of the art, culture and youth affairs department, Vivek Kumar Singh, said the department had already handed over Rs 10 crore of the total Rs 67.85-crore fund to the building construction department for renovation on March 11.

The department is expected to float a tender to select the agency to execute the construction.

"Parking and waterlogging during monsoon are the main problems with this building," said Vivek. "We are trying to address these problems in the new structure. The G+2 structure will have a parking facility for 160 cars in the basement. An auditorium with a seating capacity of 600 and two halls with a seating capacity of 100 and 200, respectively, will come up in place of the existing open-air theatre. Five classrooms and seven halls will be constructed in the new building. The basement will have a floor space of 3,550 sqm, the ground, first and the second floors will have a floor space of 3,660sqm, 3,722sqm and 2,109sqm, respectively."?

The art, culture and youth affairs department took over the institution during the '90s from a private committee that used to run the institution.

The building has been hosting shows for more than five decades and was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1963. Kathak exponent Hari Uppal had laid the foundation stone for the building on December 8, 1950.

The state government recruits officials and faculty of the institution.

Soma Chakraborty, a theatre artiste, folk dancer and mentor at the Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir, was happy with the state government's plan.the plan of the state government.