Bhubaneswar, March 29: A mega culture hub in the city that has been long promised will become a reality in five years.

This year, the state budget allocated funds for the proposed Kalamandala, a state-of-the-art centre for cultural activities. It will also resolve the issue of lack of enough auditoria to host cultural events across the city.

The project to come up on 10 acres had been proposed in 2005. The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) had also begun some work in 2006 at the site located near the Sainik School. But, a part of the land is still under litigation, hence delaying the project. "The legal complications of part of the site had led to delay of the project. Also, it is a mega project and the necessary planning takes time. Now, we will shortly start the work," said state culture secretary Manoranjan Panigrahi.

During the state budget last week, the government announced that it would allocate Rs 5 crore to restart the project.

The proposed complex will include more than one auditorium with proper seating arrangements. It would facilitate hosting more than one event at a time, said Panigrahi.

At Kalamandala, one auditorium will have 2,200 seats while another open-air amphitheatre would have a sitting capacity of about 1,000. The cultural centre will also include a library and a museum. Amenities such as parking space and a canteen will also come up on its premises for the convenience of visitors.

"We will let out the auditoria to private organisers, so that they can hold cultural programmes. History and information on Odia artistes as well as the state's various art forms will be displayed at the museum. We are looking forward to developing the centre into a space, where artistes will be able to host seminars and discussions as well," said Panigrahi.

The project cost, which had been estimated Rs 5 crore in 2005, now escalated into Rs 50 crore. "The project cost got escalated into Rs 50 crore. However, to begin with, we have allocated Rs 5 crore. Besides, since out of the total 10 acres, only three are under litigation, we have decided to start work on the other seven-acre area. Idco will shortly begin the work," said Panigrahi.

Initially, though there had been a talk of funding from the central government, Panigrahi said, the project would now be built out of the state funds.

Bhubaneswar having become a hub for cultural events with numerous Odissi, classical, folk and tribal dance and music programmes hosted throughout the year, the upcoming venue will benefit the artistes' fraternity.

Also, with Rabindra Mandap being the most sought-after auditorium by virtue of its proper seating arrangements and location, many cultural organisations usually find it difficult to book the venue during peak seasons.

"Rabindra Mandap is in a prime location and has the best seating arrangement and auditorium for hosting theatre shows. However, the demand for booking it is gradually growing up. In fact, most troupes of our fraternity have to apply a year before the events such as the five-day-long theatre festival," said Abhinna Routray of Uttarpurusha theatre troupe.

"Once come up, Kalamandala will be of immense helpful for us," said Routray, who is secretary of the Odisha Natya Sangha, an association of theatre troupes in the state.

Though the city has other options such as Jayadev Bhavan, Bhanja Kala Mandap or Idcol auditorium, those are not up to the mark and hence audience is thin there. "The stage and lighting arrangements at Bhanja Kala Mandap and Jayadev Bhavan are not suitable to stage high-quality dance productions. Also, they do not have enough seats to accommodate heavy footfall of audience," said young dancer Pallavi Das.

"It will be a blessing for us once Kalamandala gets ready. Nowadays, it is very difficult to get a good auditorium and also get space for rehearsals in the city right now," said Das.