Nabarangpur, 15th Oct 2025: After long-standing demands, the process to build a modern auditorium in the Ashirbad Kalyan Mandap area, located in Nabarangpur city, has finally gained momentum. The District Collector of Nabarangpur, Dr. Ajit Kumar Mishra, under state government directives, has forwarded an estimation of ₹10.00 crore to the state government for approval.
Historically, in 1964, during the tenure of then Odisha Chief Minister Dr. Sadashiv Tripathy, the Shastri Bhavan was constructed and inaugurated at this very location as a source of civic pride. Over time, however, that building has fallen into disrepair. Presently, Nabarangpur city lacks a modern auditorium to host literary, cultural, theatrical, government, and non-government programs, despite repeated demands from various quarters.
On 23rd March, an assessment letter (No. 1370, dated 27.09.2021) was sent by the District Collector to the state government, which excited widespread enthusiasm throughout the city. This historic decision by the state government has been welcomed by senior citizens, artists, journalists, writers, advocates and every neighborhood in Nabarangpur.
Various organizations have persistently demanded that the proposed auditorium be constructed at the existing location of the dilapidated Ashirbad Kalyan Mandap, which lies within the municipal area. Leading voices in this demand include Ram Prasad Patra of the District Advocates’ Association, Asit Kumar Deo of Gupteswar Kala Sangha, film director Suresh Mahanti, poet Bijay Kumar Choudhury, social worker Jagannath Mahapatra, senior artist Debadash Mahankuta, among others.
A group of journalists, artists, writers, poets, advocates, and intellectuals in the city presented a memorandum (smarakpatra) to Odisha’s Hon’ble Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik via the District Collector Dr. Ajit Kumar Mishra, endorsing this long-standing demand. The state government has directed the district administration to consider the request seriously and prepare an assessment letter accordingly.
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