Govt cancels mega amphitheatre planned on Nagpur varsity land

NAGPUR: The Maharashtra government cancelled the Nagpur University plan to build a a mega amphitheatre having seating capacity of over 10,000 persons behind NU campus on Amravati Road.
The one of its kind structure to be named after former chief minister Vasantrao Naik was also supposed to have an auditorium-cum-convocation hall accommodating 2,000 persons below it. The hall was to be used by the university for its various events.
“We received a letter from the government informing us that the plan to build an amphitheatre auditorium was cancelled,” vice-chancellor Subhash Chaudhari told TOI adding that no reason was provided for the decision.He added NU now planned to build a technology park on the unused land.
With this cancellation, the jinx around the auditorium to commemorate the former CM continues. The structure was announced by then CM Prithviraj Chavan in 2011 during Congress-NCP government’s tenure to celebrate Naik’s birth centenary year. It kept on getting delayed primarily over lack of suitable location.
Earlier, it was planned at Raj Bhavan but nearby residents opposed it alleging loss of open space. They moved the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court, after which the plan was dropped. Later, the district administration approached Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV) for land behind Mor Bhavan, but its executive council too, opposed the proposal.
TOI had carried several reports in 2017 detailing how the government forced its decision of building an amphitheatre on NU land, which it had actually handed over for an auditorium. TOI had quoted then collector Ashwin Mudgal that the administration had forwarded the revised plan to the State General Administration Department (GAD) for administrative approval where it was pending for the last couple of years.
NU officials told TOI the government cancelled the plan after facing financial constraints in the aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic.
When the government decided to use NU land for implementing a long pending project to commemorate Naik, it was agreed to build an auditorium that would cater to the needs of government as well as NU. The project was announced by then CM Devendra Fadnavis in September 2015 while laying the foundation stone of NU’s new administrative block. He had also declared that Rs20 crore allocated for the purpose would be released.
Mudgal had told TOI the entire complex was designed to be a happening place with food courts and shops for the visitors. Two banquet halls were also proposed on the second floor and as many as 30 suites for guests along with four lifts.
Officials said it was a big jolt to NU as it spends Rs3-Rs5 lakh for using Suresh Bhat Hall for its convocation. The mega amphitheatre-cum-auditorium would have saved money and also would have provided a venue for cultural events in city.