Bhubaneswar: Poor quality and sub-standard construction work at the New Abhishek Hall of the Raj Bhawan (Governor’s House) in Odisha capital here has come to the fore recently.

The issue came to the light after Odisha Governor Raghubar Das’ Principal Secretary Saswat Mishra wrote a letter in this regard to the Chief Engineer (Buildings) of the Works department in the state.

In his letter, Mishra claimed that the main hall, roof and the wood flooring of the New Abhishek Hall of Raj Bhawan has deteriorated a lot even though the entire structure was constructed around a year ago.

Similarly, the works related to the laying of floor tiles, fixing of skirting (dado), construction of the stage at the main hall, painting of walls, air-conditioning, lighting, sound system, water supply, sanitation facility and laying of paver block outside the hall are not satisfactory at all, said Mishra in his letter.

“The New Abhishek Hall of Raj Bhawan is used for conducting very important state functions including oath taking ceremonies, at-home programmes and Central/state government sponsored events attended by VVIPs and VIPs. Due to poor quality work, the Governor’s Office faces inconveniences repeatedly and spends substantial amount of money for rectifying the defects,” read the letter.

Mishra urged the Chief Engineer (Buildings) to carry out a detailed inspection of the New Abhishek Hall and take the necessary steps for rectification of the defects.

It is worth mentioning here that preparations are going on at full pace at Janata Maidan in the capital city here for the oath taking ceremony of the new Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers on June 10.