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For parties or conventions?
FORMER PRIME Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee?s baby the Scientific Convention Centre is fast losing its purpose. It has been reduced to a shadighar. The reason is paucity of funds, says the KGMU committee which has been entrusted with maintaining it.
FORMER PRIME Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s baby the Scientific Convention Centre is fast losing its purpose.
It has been reduced to a shadighar. The reason is paucity of funds, says the KGMU committee which has been entrusted with maintaining it.
The centre was constructed with the purpose of hosting international scientific conferences, seminars and conventions. However, in less than two year’s time it has come down to hosting marriages, parties and corporate events to generate the maintenance cost.
Like for instance a private television channel is holding its programme on Wednesday. The programme would involve a gamut of people who would come to give auditions for the programme. The programme would take place in both the auditoriums that have a capacity to hold 400 and 200 people each.
One of the officials at the Convention Centre say, “On an average we have 12-13 engagements every month. Out of which 2-3 are conferences, seminars or conventions and the rest are marriages, parties or receptions. And there are times when we have to refuse booking for parties or marriages due to date clash.”
However, one point that has to be noted is that the Centre does not get any funds from the government or the King George’s Medical University. It has to raise the funds on its own and take care of maintenance, salary of the staff and other expenses.
Centre in- charge Prof AK Srivastav says, “When we got charge of the Centre, we got zero funds. We had to raise the funds on our own. And through marriages and parties we are able to raise sufficient funds.” He also added that in the guidelines of the Convention Centre it is provided that the Convention Centre can be rented out for the purpose of parties or marriages.
The areas that are given out for marriages and parties are the banquet hall, two rooms, the lawns and the parking area. For each of these areas the charges vary. Apart from this electricity charges are also charged.
