Surat: The Public Construction Committee of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has approved an estimate of Rs 46 crore for reconstructing the Gandhismriti Bhavan as a green building with a heritage look.

The Gandhismriti Bhavan is an 800-seater facility for staging plays and was opened to the public in 1980. It was renovated once but after structural stability issues came to the fore, it was decided to reconstruct the facility from scratch.

Of the 46 crores budgeted for reconstruction, Rs 20 crore are for civil work, Rs 5.58 crore for interior, Rs 2 crore for the audio system, and Rs 1.48 crore for stage lights as well as stage curtains.

Members and office-bearers of the Public Construction Committee will be given a presentation on the design for the new Gandhismriti Bhavan next week. They will suggest improvements in the design if they find it necessary after going through the presentation.

A 24-member advisory committee, which included a few well-known Gujarati theatre actors, was formed to work on a new design for the Gandhismriti Bhavan. DeshGujarat.