Dhangadhi Auditorium to Operate Under Private Management

Dhangadhi. The auditorium constructed in Dhangadhi after realizing the need for infrastructure to organize large gatherings, conferences, and public programs has not yet come into operation. Preparations for operation are underway. Questions have begun to arise regarding its investment and management even before it comes into operation. The Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City is preparing to operate the auditorium under private management approximately four years after the completion of its first phase of construction. The auditorium has facilities such as a large assembly hall, seminar rooms, and underground parking. It was constructed to host large seminars, conferences, and programs of federal, provincial, and local levels. Even after the building construction was completed, it could not be used immediately. The first phase of work was completed in 2079 BS. At that time, the sub-metropolitan city did not accept the building, citing the lack of furniture, sound systems, and other technical equipment. Later, after the necessary equipment and technical infrastructure were added in the second phase, the sub-metropolitan city took responsibility for the auditorium on Jestha 11, 2082 BS. Even after that, although procedures for operation were initiated, the auditorium could not be used immediately. Now, it has been handed over to the private sector for operation. According to the sub-metropolitan city, when notices were issued repeatedly for the operation of the auditorium, there was no expected response initially. Subsequently, the minimum bid amount was gradually reduced. In the first and second calls, the minimum monthly amount was set at three hundred thousand rupees. After no proposals were received, it was set at two hundred seventy thousand rupees for the third time and one hundred ninety-nine thousand rupees for the fourth time. In the fifth call, the amount was reduced to one hundred twenty-five thousand rupees. Through this process, the contract has finally been awarded for one hundred fifty-two thousand one hundred eleven rupees per month. Some have commented on its return, with the structure built at a cost of millions of rupees being given to the private sector for operation at a monthly rent of just over one hundred thousand rupees. Rukmini Tent & Suppliers has received the responsibility for operating the auditorium. Deputy Mayor of Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City, Kandakala Kumari Rana, informed that the auditorium will come into operation soon as the process is complete. The sub-metropolitan city stated that the amount has been adjusted according to the standards for operation. Deputy Mayor Rana said that when the management is handed over to the private sector, it will operate the business, and the local government will earn income from rent and taxes. The building, whose first phase of construction was completed in 2079 BS, could not be used for a long time due to the lack of necessary technical equipment. Even after the sub-metropolitan city took responsibility, the auditorium did not come into operation for about 15 months. According to the Federal Project Implementation Unit, the initial construction contract did not include provisions for installing a sound system. An additional budget of one crore eighty lakh rupees was required for this in the second phase. The auditorium became operational only after the equipment and technical work were completed. During this period, government programs, assemblies, conferences, and other activities that could have been held in the auditorium had to be held elsewhere. This resulted in the loss of direct income as well as the benefits that citizens would receive from public infrastructure. Furthermore, it is reported that damage worth approximately twenty-four lakh seventy-two thousand rupees occurred in the auditorium during the 'Janjati Andolan' (Janajati Movement). The repair work for that damage is still incomplete. Now, with the auditorium coming into operation under private management, the sub-metropolitan city expects that the infrastructure that has been idle for a long time will be put to use.