The grand plan of constructing Tagore Cultural Complex to house South Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC) has fizzled out. The plan announced in January 2017 stands shelved due to inability of SCZCC in raising its share of funds.

Dr Piush Kumar, the then Director of SCZCC, had on January 18, 2017, issued a press release to announce that the 80-year-old building of the centre was the most dilapidated one among all seven zonal cultural centres in the country under the Union Ministry of Culture. Hence, he had stated, the Union Ministry of Culture had approved construction of a grand Tagore Cultural Complex that would house the SCZCC headquarters. Of the estimated cost of Rs 45 crore, an amount of Rs 15 crore was sanctioned in the first phase. However, as the years passed by, the project fizzled out.

‘The Hitavada’ reached out to the present Director In-charge of SCZCC and previous Director to know as to why the project fizzled out. Dr Deepak Khirwadkar, former Director of SCZCC, said, “A certain plan was in place. But it was cancelled, because we could not raise the money. There was a certain amount of money that SCZCC had to raise in addition to the funds received from the Ministry of Culture. However, SCZCC was unable to raise that amount.” He confirmed that the plan was shelved a couple of years ago. Prof Suresh Sharma, who recently assumed additional charge as Director In-charge of SCZCC, said, “The Government provides 60 per cent of the funds for projects and SCZCC has to raise the remaining 40 per cent of the estimated project cost. Since the project was proposed during the tenure of former Director Dr Piush Kumar, it had to be completed during his tenure.

Unfortunately, this did not happen.” Asked if the project would be revived now, he said that there was no such plan in place. Thus, the project of Tagore Cultural Complex could not see the light of the day. According to sources, though Rs 15 crore was sanctioned in the first phase of the project, even this amount was not fully released. Given the revenue constraints of SCZCC, this added to the burden of raising finance for the unit. The proposed cultural complex was to be a threestorey building inclusive of a multiplex theatre, audiovisual library, conference hall, handicraft showroom, Art Library, Art Gallery, cafeteria, documentation section, residential facility, Guest House and Dormitory, amphitheatre, nature trail, lawns, area designated for fair, etc. Nagpur-based architecture firm Collective Urbanism had prepared the design and detailed project report for the proposed cultural complex. The then SCZCC administration had moved the proposal for Tagore Cultural Complex as it was facing severe water-logging during monsoon season due to its location being at a lower gradient than that of the road. SCZCC is one of the seven zonal cultural centres established by Government of India in 1986. It is an autonomous organisation working under administrative control of Union Ministry of Culture. Governor of Maharashtra is ex-officio Chairman of SCZCC.