The community centre at Rehabilitation Colony in Dhanas, Chandigarh. Tribune photo

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 18

Even after almost a year of being inaugurated by local MP Kirron Kher, a community centre at Rehabilitation Colony in Dhanas continues to remain closed for booking.

The centre, whose foundation stone was laid on May 13, 2018, was inaugurated on December 21 last year by the MP. However, it has failed to serve the propose, inconveniencing residents.

A resident

Due to its closure, locals are forced to look for places in other areas such as Sarangpur. The community centre in Sector 38 is out of their reach due to its high cost. Thus, the poor are the worst hit in Dhanas.

“We are thankful to the MP for inaugurating it, but the MC has not opened it yet. My marriage is on December 7 and I have been running from pillar to post to book the facility. The next month will be very cold. If we can book the centre, the wedding will take place in a closed space. My father is no more and my brother is the only breadwinner. So, we can’t afford booking another place,” rued Mamata.

She said the Sampark Centre staff had told them that the centre was not displayed on the MC’s website and was unavailable for booking. “There are two other community centres in Dhanas — one in the colony and another in the village. But, they are very old and do not have this kind of a hall,” she said.

Meanwhile, the booking branch and Sampark Centre officials were clueless about the status of the centre. A booking staff official said perhaps the engineering wing staff, which was supposed to provide them with the list of community centres for booking, had not done it.

Municipal Corporation’s Executive Engineer Ravinder Sharma said: “The UT Administration had built it. Even after its inauguration, there was leakage in the building and a small wall was broken. So, we had written to the Administration to get it repaired, after which MC had to take over. Later, we got water and electricity connections arranged for the centre. Now, it is ready and we wrote to the branch concerned of the MC to start booking the community centre for events about two months ago.” Meanwhile, an official of the booking branch said they are yet to get any communication regarding the same.

Also unavailable

Other community centres such as the ones in Sectors 35, 20, 21 and Ram Darbar are also lying closed. Renovation work is going on in these centres.