Close on the heels of renovating Gandhi Bhavan on Kumara Krupa Road, the State government is set to give a facelift to the Kannada Sahitya Parishat building in Chamarajpet.
Bangalore Development Authority, which took up the renovation work at Gandhi Bhavan, has been entrusted with renovation of the KSP building as well.
“A visit of the building premises will be done in a week’s time, following which BDA will kick off work on ground,” Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Thursday after inaugurating the renovated Gandhi Bhavan.
The two-floor building, which has a plinth area of 600 sqm, has been renovated at a cost of Rs 1 crore.
Calling upon the citizens to act beyond Gandhi Jayanti tokenism, the chief minister stressed on the need to preserve and celebrate the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.
Youth-centric
He urged the Karnataka Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi to devise youth-centric programmes at the Bhavan to attract more youngsters to the Mahatma and the values he represented.
Mr Kumaraswamy also urged BDA Commissioner M K Shankaralinge Gowda to earmark parts of BDA’s profits for programmes to preserve memorials and monuments of historical importance.
Addressing questions from reporters on the book Aanu Deva Horaganavanu that has reportedly irked followers of Basavanna, the CM said the Government was exploring options to address the issue within the legal framework.
More infrastructure
KGSN, while lauding the CM’s initiative to renovate Gandhi Bhavan, submitted a memorandum to him seeking support in developing infrastructure in the building, including a new guest house to house freedom fighters and other visitors.
Nidhi President H Srinivasaiah sought an annual fund of Rs 10 lakh — as earmarked in the 2007-08 State Budget — for development of the Bhavan’s infrastructure.
The renovation was carried out in around nine months, under the guidance of Mr Uday, chief architect of Karnataka. The original Gandhi Bhavan building was inaugurated in 1965.