Beant Singh Memorial Centre: 6 years on, Chandigarh admn to finally start construction of auditorium, convention centre

Six years after the plan was approved, the UT administration is finally set to begin work on the auditorium block and convention centre at Beant Singh Memorial Centre in Sector 42.

In a meeting chaired by Chandigarh chief secretary Rajiv Verma on Monday, the urban planning department submitted the drawings for the proposed convention centre. Officials said the work is expected to commence within the next two months.

The memorial was built in memory of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995. Though work on the project began in 1999, it faced multiple delays due to financial constraints and other reasons, and remains a work in progress.

In 2019, the UT administration approved the development of the Centre along the lines of the India International Centre in New Delhi. As per the plan, the memorial was to have nine components but only four have so far been completed. These include a library, a memorial, an open-air theatre, and a cafeteria. The library also houses a multipurpose hall, a conference room, and an exhibition hall.

The construction of the auditorium block, convention centre, Sarv Dharm Repository (Interfaith Repository), exhibition-cum-multipurpose building, and guest house is pending.

Cost to be shared equally by Punjab, Chandigarh

In December 2022, the then Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator Banwarilal Purohit had visited the memorial to review the project. At the time, the estimated construction cost was around ₹40 crore. However, due to a delay of nearly two-and-a-half years, the cost has risen by ₹10 crore, now standing at ₹50 crore.

Both Chandigarh and Punjab will share the cost equally. Chandigarh has already contributed ₹12 crore while the Punjab government has released ₹10 crore.