India soon to build cultural institute in T&T: HC Mishra

Minister in the Works Ministry Rudy Indarsingh greets High Commissioner Malay Mishra at Holi celebrations in Caroni

The Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Cooperation will soon be a reality, according to Indian High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago Malay Mishra.

Mishra made the pledge Sunday at Holi celebrations at the the Institute's temporary location at Frederick Settlement, Caroni.

He said bids for the construction of a multi-million-dollar structure will open in three weeks, adding that it will be completed by the end of 2012. The building would become the permanent home for the institute’s cultural and artistic programmes.

Mishra said the new structure would be built on a five-acre parcel of land near the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope with full funding from the government of India.

The formal launch of the project took place several years ago while Basdeo Panday was Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. The project itself has been in the pipeline since 1987 when Panday was Foreign minister in the Robinson NAR government. He got in trouble with Robinson over the project.

The Institute is currently housed in a wooden structure that was owned by the former Caroni (1975) Limited.