Raj Bhavan’s Rs 7 crore durbar hall ready ahead of new govt’s swearing-in

PANAJI: Raj Bhavan’s new spacious Rs 7 crore, 1,000-capacity durbar hall where dignitaries will be hosted during swearing-in ceremonies and state receptions is ready. Vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the hall on March 4.
Naidu will be on a two-day official visit to Goa on March 3 and March 4.

A senior officer said that the swearing ceremony of the new government that will be formed after March 10 might be held in the new durbar hall.
The 1,665sqm durbar hall has a 395sqm dining space.
Of the over Rs 7 crore spent on the durbar hall by the state government, Rs 4.5 crore went towards the construction cost while the rest is being spent on doing up the interiors.
Hitherto, Raj Bhavan would host its annual high tea held on the occasion of Republic Day, Independence Day and Liberation Day, besides swearing-in ceremonies at the old durbar hall, which could accommodate only 150 people.
Space constraints meant that the guestlist on most occasions would have to be kept to the minimum, a state official said.
The senior officer added that, earlier, bureaucrats at the rank of gazetted officer and above would be invited for the high tea, but the list would be restricted to secretaries and select guests for the same reason.
“With the new durbar hall, more guests can now be accommodated,” the officer said.
The officer said that as the existing durbar hall was not sufficient to house a larger guest list, pandals would have to be erected on the lawns of Raj Bhavan on such occasions, which would involve a huge expenditure.
It was for these reasons that the Raj Bhavan has proposed the construction of the new hall.
The new durbar hall is open on all four sides and has a detachable dais so that it can also be used to host games, yoga performances and workouts, among other events.
Then Goa governor Mridula Sinha had made some suggestions when the proposal was referred to her. The hall was initially designed to be kept open on all four sides, but following her recommendation, it was decided to cover it with glass panes.
The proposal was sent to the conservation committee as the Raj Bhavan comes under the heritage conservation zone.
“The committee had suggested that there shouldn’t be walls on four sides of the hall and that it should be kept open. Accordingly, changes were made, and the project received the panel’s nod,” a government officer had said.