The Suvarna Samskrutika Samucchya building has not yet elevated from its basement, though it is exactly one year after laying foundation stone for the monument. The foundation stone was laid on March 13, 2007, but still it is in the same condition due to land litigation.
Due to the lack of interest of the Kannada and Culture department, district administration and the State government, the Kodagu’s dream has not come true though majestic buildings have stood up in many other districts.
The JD(S)-BJP coaltion government had allotted Rs 1.5 crore for the project in the 2006 annual budget as part of Suvarna Karnataka celebrations, and even released Rs 1.07 crore. The remaining amount Rs 43 lakh will be released once the construction works begin.
But due to the objections in connection with the identified land, the PWD could not initiate the work despite the then district in-charge minister Ramachandra Gowda and the then Kannada and Culture department Minister H S Mahadeva Prasad has laid foundation.
Staunch opposition
Including former minister M C Nanaiah, various veteran sports lovers and organisations like Kaveri Sene expressed their opposition against building the complex in the Government Junior College grounds.
Some people protested the government’s decision by replacing the foundation stone on the very day of foundation stone laying ceremony. From day one, the project has stuck amidst controversies, which also went up to Lokayukta.
Meanwhile, the government had also mulled over constructing the cultural complex in the place of Kavery Kalakshetra in the premises of City Municipal Council, by demolishing the Kalakshetra. But the PW Department itself objected this idea, and hence, the district administration returned to the earlier idea.
Later, the department started construction works, but it had to stop as Cauvery Sene blocked the project again.Various pro-Kannada organisations staged dharnas urging the government to commence the project, and the district administration assured of a quick solution. Now the protests have cooled down. Kannada and Culture Department has totally forgotten the issue. As the district administration and government too are indifferent about the issue, the bottlenecks have not been eliminated yet.