Apathy towards Bhuj Municipality's artists: 'Trinity' of termites in Town Hall, curtains-AC bad

There have been serious complaints that the Bhuj Municipal Corporation is showing an indifferent attitude towards the institutions that keep art and culture alive in Bhuj. Lack of basic amenities and exorbitant rent collection in the town hall and open air theatre owned by the municipality are causing huge trouble to the artists. Saptrang, a well-known organization that has been organizing free programs on this issue for years, has sent a written application to the chief officer, president and executive chairman of the municipality demanding immediate resolution of the issues. In the letter, the president of the Sapatrang Sanstha, Jhaverilal Soneji and the office bearers have said that the town hall, where an organization like Sapatrang, organizes free programs only for the entertainment of artists, without taking any entry fee or donations, has also been paid Rs. A hefty rent of Rs 10,000 is being charged, which is completely unfair. After the presentations in the year 2022, this fare has been reduced to Rs. The rent was increased to Rs 7,500, but without taking the artists into confidence, the rent has been illegally increased to Rs 10,000. There is no objection to charging Rs 10,000 for professional programs, but the rent for free service organizations is Rs 10,000. It has been demanded that 5000 be fixed. Apart from this, it has also been asked to stop the deduction of a large amount in the name of GST in free programs. In the presentation, it is said that termites have entered the entire town hall while giving a picture of the dilapidated condition of the town hall. If it is not destroyed immediately, there may be a major disaster of wall or roof collapse in the future. The main curtain, which is essential to the play, does not open or close properly. All the three ACs are switched on and off simultaneously, instead one unit should be switched on separately as per the requirement. The upper structure on the stage appears to be swinging, which needs to be built. There is not enough lighting in front of the stage and in the green room. There is also a lack of drinking water in the greenroom. There are no railings near the steps of the VIP gate, making it difficult for the elderly to get up and down. The toilet premises are filled with water. The covers of the chairs are torn to be replaced. Further, the Town Hall premises should not be used as parking lots. Open air theatre in ruins, need for new mini auditorium The condition of the open-air theatre has become so dilapidated that the actors have tears in their eyes. As promised earlier, the municipality should immediately renovate it and upgrade it. In addition, the announcement made by Kutch MP Vinodbhai Chavda to build a small auditorium with a seating capacity of 200 to 300 spectators along with an open-air theatre has also been expressed by the artists.