Gandhi Bhavan to be built using only natural elements, says Raghupati Bhat

MANGALURU

Gandhi Bhavan in Udupi to be built at an estimated cost of Rs. 3 crore will be an environmental-friendly construction utilising natural resources exclusively available in the district and no chemical elements, including steel and cement, will be used, said Udupi MLA K. Raghupati Bhat.

He was speaking at the foundation laying ceremony for the Gandhi Bhavan near Bhujanga Park in Ajjarkad in the city on Sunday. The Bhavan, he said, would replicate the coastal culture and comprise a museum, art gallery, a statue of the Mahatma and an auditorium.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone, Minister for Social and Backward Classes Welfare Kota Srinivas Poojari said that the bhavan would be a model for the entire State. “Let the construction get completed at the earliest for the benefit of the people in the region,” he said.

Karnataka State Permanent Backward Classes Commission Chairperson K. Jayaprakash Hegde said the messages of the Mahatma should be displayed at the bhavan. It should be a knowledge centre for the younger as well as the older generations, he said.

Speaking earlier at the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations, Mr. Poojari said that Mahatma Gandhi showed that the world could be won over with peace. Propagating the message of peace, the Mahatma had also waged war on untouchability, Mr. Poojari said and regretted that still untouchability was practiced in some corners of the country.

Deputy Commissioner M. Kurma Rao said Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharath programme, inspired by the Mahatma, was a great success in Udupi district. Udupi City Municipal Council recently got the State-level award for the cleanliness campaign. The administration would launch Clean India and Fit India campaign this month, Mr. Rao said and urged people to actively participate in the initiatives.

The programmes were followed by release of posters on Clean India campaign and a cleanliness drive.