After The Milanee, it's the turn of its close neighbour, Maharashtra Hitkari Mandal to notch up 100 years of its existence in Jamshedpur.
To celebrate the occasion, Maharashtra Hitkari Mandal has come up with six air-conditioned rooms on its Bistupur premises to let visitors avail an affordable stay at a prime locality of the city.
Nitin Madan Kulkarni, secretary, state department of agriculture and sugarcane development, inaugurated the new rooms on Sunday.
The new section of the building has been built at a cost of Rs 80 lakh.
Though room tariffs will be decided in an upcoming committee meeting, the members have tentatively fixed to keep it around Rs 2,000 (for double bed), including complimentary breakfast and dinner.
The Maharashtra Hitkari Mandal, which stepped into its centenary year, had officially started functioning from 1916 when people from various parts of Maharashtra, mainly Mumbai, migrated to Jamshedpur for jobs in Tata Steel, then known as Tisco.
The building was set up in 1950 with a dormitory and a couple of rooms. In 1980, the outfit started its canteen to generate revenue, which is still very popular for the quality of its food.
Keeping in mind many visitors who might not be able to afford pricey hotel rooms, the committee decided to renovate some of its rooms to add value to the existing building.
"This is part of our centenary celebrations. It is not every day that a community club completes 100 years and we are proud that we have been able to keep the activities going. In fact, the Marathi community is the second minority group in the steel city after Zoroastrian families. There are only around 150 Maharashtrian families in Jamshedpur now," said Ravindra Sathaye, the vice-president of the outfit.
"Before this new construction, there was a dormitory and a couple of rooms that needed serious attention. That was why we decided to come up with new rooms. Anybody who visits Jamshedpur and needs a good room in a place like Bistupur is welcome. It is not only restricted to the Mandal," added Sathaye.
He added with pride that even before the Mandal was set up, the Marathis had started Ganesh Puja in the steel city in 1913.
