New building for Kodagu Zilla Panchayat gets ready

After functioning from the Old Fort building for several decades, the Zilla Panchayat of Kodagu finally gets a new building of its own.

The beautiful building which has come up in Vidyanagara, on the outskirts of Madikeri town, is attracting the attention of people with its majestic look.

The three-storey building is spread across an area of 1.60 acres. The Zilla Panchayat had acquired a five-acre land for the same. The total cost of the project was Rs 26 crore. The work had begun in 2016.

All major works on the new ZP complex have been completed and the work on installing modern amenities is in progress. Offices of various government departments are expected to be shifted shortly.

The ZP complex will be equipped with elevators, spacious auditorium, CCTV surveillance and parking facility, apart from having basic facilities. Waste management facility has also been provided. There are plans to develop a garden in front of the building.

The district court and Kendriya Vidyalaya are located in the vicinity of the new ZP building.

The first floor houses the chambers of zilla panchayat president and vice president and separate chambers for the members of the Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council and presidents of Zilla Panchayat Standing Committees.

The second floor comprises of offices of various government departments.

Zilla Panchayat chief executive officer’s chamber, chief accountant’s office, conference hall, video conference hall, offices of the planning officer, deputy secretary, assistant secretary and project Director, are on the third floor.

The auditorium with a seating capacity of 170 people, has been designed and built to resemble the state Assembly at Vidhana Soudha. Zilla Panchayat meetings and review meetings will be held in the auditorium.

The Old Fort Hall where the Zilla Panchayat has been functioning was a part of a fort built by the ruler of Haleri dynasty, Mudduraja, in 17th century AD. Tippu Sultan rebuilt the fort with stones and rechristened it as ‘Jafarabad’. In 1790, ruler Dodda Veerarajendra conquered the fort, which was then taken over by the British in 1834.

The offices of the government departments have been functioning in the palace built by Immadi Lingaraja Wadiyar - II. The palace turned dilapidated as it was more than the carrying capacity of the building to house several departments with a lot of staff and with a large number of people visiting these offices.

The members of Green City Forum had submitted a memorandum to the officers of the Department of Archaeological Survey of India, requesting to preserve the structure.

The walls of the palace were discoloured and the roof is leaking during the rainy season. Even though minor repair works were taken up, the soldiers’ room had collapsed. The revival of the old building can be done only after all the offices are shifted to the new building.