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DUDA baby in culture dept?s lap
FINALLY, THE city is going to have a Lucknow Haat on the lines of Dilli Haat. This is going to be the first permanent market in the city that will showcase and sell the country?s handicrafts. The haat is going to come up on the land adjoining UP Sangeet Natak Akademi in Gomti Nagar.
FINALLY, THE city is going to have a Lucknow Haat on the lines of Dilli Haat. This is going to be the first permanent market in the city that will showcase and sell the country’s handicrafts. The haat is going to come up on the land adjoining UP Sangeet Natak Akademi in Gomti Nagar.
This six-storeyed Haat with mezzanine floors is estimated to cost around Rs 13 crore and will come up on 2.75 acre land. Dilli Haat is built on a horizontal plane, but Lucknow Haat will come up vertically.
In fact, the Haat is long awaited. It was first proposed a couple of years ago and the project was given to the District Urban Development Agency (DUDA). But now it is the Uttar Pradesh Culture Department that has got the approval for its construction.
“The haat is going to have a shilp gram on two floors where the craftsmen and artisans from all over the country will come and showcase the finest handicrafts.
The next two floors will have a museum divided into five sections. Each section will consist of artworks from one of the five regions- Bhojpuri, Bundelkhand, Awadh, Brij and Pashchim. It is going to be like a Lok Kala Sanghralaya. Another floor will have an art gallery along with an art studio where artists can work,” said principal secretary (Culture) Rita Sinha.
One of the floors will house an elaborate food court and a large space for live performances. All the floors are going to be totally air-conditioned. There may be some guest rooms added to the project for visiting artistes. Apart from all this there are going to be a number of live events at this place as well. Artisans and craftsmen would show their art to the public by doing art and craft work in front of public.
The project is going to be constructed on the 1.75 acre land adjoining the UPSNA and will also include the adjoining 1 acre green belt that belongs to the LDA, however, there would not be any construction on this part of the land and will be maintained as a green belt.
The estimated budget of the project is 13 crore, in which the 12th Finance Commission has approved to give 11 crore and 2 crore is going to come from Government of India and the State Government.
Rita Sinha, informed that project is going to be executed by UP Rajkiya Nirman Nigam. She said, “We have been allocated the budget and the work will soon start. The project should have come up long back in Lucknow but due to negligence on DUDA’s part it got delayed. But, now we are trying our best to give the city its first permanent market that depicts its cultural heritage.”
Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee launched this project almost three years ago. It was supposed to come up at the parkland opposite the Hussainabad Clock Tower but to due to ASI’s objection the venue was shifted to Hardoi Road. However, this project never managed to see light and now the UP Culture Department has decided to take up the project.
