JOIN USGurubhavan in Kolar Gold Fields continues to remain a pipe dream
The construction of the Gurubhavan, which was originally concieved in 2006, has been in a state of limbo for the last six years.
Originally to built after the demolition of an old school building, the project initialy got off to a good start.
All the teachers in the KGD education zone contributed a single-days’s worth of salary towards the work and the then-district in-charge minister K Srinivasa Gowda even performed a ground-breaking ceremony.
In addition, the then-legislator S Rajendran had promised to contribute Rs five lakh from the MLA fund — in addition to Rs 4.16 lakh collected from teachers.
But the problem arose after the project was entrusted to the city municipality and after funds where transferred to their control. Today, the slow pace of construction can be attributed to the effort of the contractor in charge who only proceeds with work after unpredictable releases of funds by the muncipality.
Dream to delusion
The Gurubhavana has now been converted into a godown for the dumping of waste. Residents also said that it also doubles as a hotbed of illicit activity at night. Funds, which were due to be provided by other sources, have also failed to materialise.
Y A Narayanaswamy, elected to the Legislative Council from the Teachers’ Constituency, had promised Rs two lakh during a public meet.
The money was never sent. Union Minister K H Muniyappa has released a sum of Rs five lakh from his local area development fund. However, there has been no aid towards the project from legislators Y Sampangi and M Narayanaswamy.
The original 26-lakh project envisaged the construction of a double-storey Gurubhavan with six guesthouses and two halls.
After the plans were expanded to increase the number of rooms to 10, the cost of the project now stands at Rs 56 lakh — as per the revised estimate.
Work on the building resumed after the municipality released Rs 10 lakh last month. But citizens expressed fears that money could be misued as the project has no effective leadership and direction.
Despite this, the Teachers’ Welfare Funds released Rs 26 lakh towards the work and more assistance is expected from philanthropists.
Appaiah Gowda, the president of the Teachers’ Association, optimistically added that the work would be completed in about five months.