The only centre in Uluberia, Howrah, where cultural programmes are regularly held, will soon get a facelift.

Uluberia Municipality has taken the initiative to channelise more than Rs 1 crore from the local area development fund for the renovation of Rabindra Bhavan.

?The fund has already been allotted for the project,? said Majed Mollah, member of the Howrah Zilla Parishad.

The project, which is expected to cost about Rs 1.75 crore, aims at a thorough renovation of the cultural centre.

An official of Uluberia Municipality said they have already collected Rs 25 lakh from the local area development fund of MLA Debabrata Mukherjee.

?We are waiting for another Rs 50 lakh that is required to give the hall the desired new look,? said Mollah.

Constructed in 1970, Rabindra Bhavan has always been in a state of neglect as the municipality couldn?t afford to meet the expenditure for its maintenance. As a result, over the years, the entire two-storeyed building has been reduced to ruins.

?Every year, just a few thousands are kept aside in the budget for the maintenance of the hall but nothing constructive could be done to restore the exterior to its past glory,? said an official of the municipality.

?It was then decided that the renovation will be taken up by the Howrah Improvement Trust (HIT) as soon as the district administration approves of it,? he added.

The local residents say Rabindra Bhavan is the only place in the area where cultural programmes are held throughout the year.

?This year, the five-day Uluberia film festival was organised here. We feared the inner balcony of the building would collapse during the event,? said Pulak Roy, a local resident.

Though the hall can accommodate more than a thousand people, it has no provision for seating. ?Before every programme, we have had to hire chairs for the audience,? claimed Jayanta Das, another local resident.

The residents added that the hall gets flooded every monsoon. ?We have decided to stage a demonstration and approach the sub-divisional officer of Uluberia on December 6,? the local residents said.

When contacted, Uluberia Municipality chairman Batakrishna Das said the renovation work at the hall will start soon.