The opening of the integrated Collectorate complex and a new taluk office in the city by Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi on Wednesday would meet the felt needs of residents and officials of various government agencies in the district.
The integrated Collectorate has come up right in front of the existing Collector's office building. The new complex, with about one lakh square feet of office space, was sanctioned at a cost of Rs.12.01 crore. The building would be an energy efficient structure.
It has come up on a seven-acre site, which was previously held by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, Pudukottai. Alternative sites have been provided to both the agencies.
The new Collectorate project has been completed in less than a year's time. Though Deputy Chief Minister M.K.Stalin laid the foundation stone for the building in February 2009, work on the project gathered momentum only by the end of October last year. The existing Collector's office, constructed in 1995, has been found inadequate to accommodate various government departments. Although other districts have got new master complexes over the past decade, Tiruchi was left with the old building, which was mostly occupied by the Revenue Department. A new building for the Rural Development Department was constructed a few years ago.
But most other government departments are functioning from rented buildings. Just about a dozen of the 82 different Government departments are currently functioning on the Collectorate campus. Most of the government departments are now expected to move in to the new building soon.
The shifting of the Tiruchi Taluk Office to the new building near the Corporation Office on the Bharathidasan Road would also come as a relief to the residents. The taluk office is now located in the Town Hall right in the midst of a congested commercial centre near the Rock Fort. The office now functions from the ancient Rani Mangammal Darbar Hall complex, with limited infrastructure and office space. Access to the office is difficult for many residents as it is located off the Chinna Kadai Street, which has no direct access to public transport.
The new office is not only spacious but also easily accessible, district officials point out. Apart from the regular Tahsildhar, the offices of the Civil Supplies Tahsildhar and the Social Security Tahsildhar would also be accommodated at the office.
The building was sanctioned at a cost of Rs.1.54 crore. The ground-plus-two-floor building is in conformity to the type-design for all new taluk offices in the State.
