Delhi to get six world-class socio-cultural centres, courtesy the DDA

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has announced that it plans to build six socio-cultural centres in the city, on the lines of international facilities like the Sydney Opera House and John F Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts in Washington DC, through the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
These new centres would be developed within existing district centres of Sector-11, Dwarka (10 acres); Rohini District Centre-II (11.25 acres); Netaji Subhash Place, Pitampura (1.5 acres); CBD Shahdara (1.5 acres); District Centre Mayur Vihar (2 acres); and near Sultan Garhi Tomb, Vasant Kunj (11.25 acres), the DDA said.
“The proposed centres would be centres of excellence, for promotion of various visual arts like painting, sculpture and ceramics and performing arts like music, dance and theatre. Each centre will have a specialised role, in promoting and training people in visual and performing arts. Some centres may also provide training in culinary skills,” the DDA said in a statement.
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These facilities would be developed, maintained and operated through the PPP mode. “The DDA will be the facilitator and the operations will be managed by a group of eminent persons, who will ensure that the centres are operated and maintained as per the principles agreed to, so that these do not get converted to ‘baraat ghars’,” it said.
The DDA said that it would also permit co-naming of these centres, along with the name selected by the developer. At present, Mandi House Complex is the only major socio-cultural centre in Delhi. The DDA is also studying the details of important cultural hubs in the country, like the National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai and Bharat Bhawan in Bhopal.
To ensure that these centres are self-financing, 60% of the total floor area may be utilised for commercial, retail, hotels and other remunerative uses, as per the Master Plan’s provisions, it said. “Revenue received from this, will be utilised for operating facilities such as state-of-the-art auditoria, theatres, galleries, exhibition halls, recording studios and museums, which will be developed on the remaining 40% of the total floor area,” it said.
The authority will hold discussions with similar institutions already functioning in the city, like the National School of Drama, Sangeet Natak Academy, Sahitya Kala Academy and other centres for performing arts, for their inputs in this regard.
By: Housing.com/news