President Kovind to inaugurate new hall at Mumbai Raj Bhavan on Feb 11

President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate the new Darbar Hall at Raj Bhavan here on Friday, an official statement said.

President's wife Savita Kovind, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, his deputy Ajit Pawar, state's PWD Minister Ashok Chavan and selected invitees will attend the event, the statement issued on Wednesday said.

The president was scheduled to inaugurate the hall on December 8 last year, but the event was put off following the death of the then Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat that day, it said.

The new hall has a seating capacity of 750 individuals as against 225 of the previous one.

The heritage features of the hall have been retained, while a gallery has been constructed to give a sea view from the structure, the statement said.

The work of constructing the new hall began in 2019 and was completed in December last year after facing a few delays due to COVID-19 outbreak, it added.