Mangaluru: Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot will inaugurate the new centenary building of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) Dakshina Kannada unit at the old DC office premises, here on July 26.IRCS district president Shantharam Shetty told reporters here on Tuesday that the new 20,000 sqft building, built at a cost of Rs six crore, comprises a basement, ground floor, and two upper floors. The ground floor has an office, visitor’s lounge, and a meeting hall, an AC conference hall with a capacity of 300 seats, has been set up on the first floor. A conference hall with a sea view has been set up on the second floor with a seating capacity of 500 people, he said.“Though the foundation stone for the centenary building was laid on 26 cents of land in 2021, the work could not be expedited due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other factors. The building was completed utilising the CSR funds, contributions from donors, and support from the state govt,” said Shetty.The Red Cross office, which operated from a small room in the DC’s office, was allocated a dedicated office space in 2007. Later, the IRCS unit built its own facility in 2011. With the services of the IRCS expanded, the district unit planned to have a larger facility and implemented the centenary building project.“With a 70-year history, the Dakshina Kannada branch of IRCS has been promoting humanitarian values. The IRCS blood bank functioning inside the Government Lady Goschen Hospital has been providing free blood to pregnant women and other patients at the hospital. Patients at Wenlock District Hospital have been given blood at a 50% concession. On average, 500 units of blood are distributed free of cost each month,” he said.The DK unit of IRCS has plans to supply free blood to BPL patients being treated at private hospitals. Shetty said there is a need to create a dedicated fund for the project. Efforts in this regard will continue after the new building is made fully operational, he said.The unit also plans to establish an eye bank or a dialysis unit with support from CSR funds and other grants. A disaster management unit will be set up on the ground floor, to train volunteers and stock materials required for rescue operations. The conference halls will be given for programmes organised by NGOs and other organisations on days when there are no IRCS activities, he added.Shetty announced that a mobile application is being developed by a private company for the IRCS Dakshina Kannada unit. The app will be launched during the inauguration.
