The State government’s move to shift one division-level office and 23 district-level offices to the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi has received mixed response.
The decision was announced through a Government Order issued on Tuesday. As per the order, the district administration has to make infrastructure arrangements to enable the functioning of these offices. All these offices, that were running from private rented buildings, should end their contracts and start working from the Suvarna Soudha from the first week of July.
The district administration officers should provide drinking water and canteen facilities for workers and the public who frequent these offices.
The State government has also asked the Public Works Department to create office spaces for workers in the alternative venue of the State Legislature. However, the PWD is not supposed to buy any new furniture.
The office of the Karnataka Niravari Nigam is the only division-level office to be shifted. The other 23 offices include the office of the Deputy Director of Tourism, Land Acquisition Officer for irrigation projects, senior geologist, District Statistics Office and development corporations of various communities and social groups.
Some organisations such as the Swami Vivekananda Youth Centre have welcomed the move. Raju Chikkanagoudar, convenor of the centre, said that this would help save a lot of money to the State Exchequer as all the offices working from private buildings would be shifted to the Suvarna Soudha.
This is a long-pending dream of the people of the district that has come true, he said.
However, others say that the decision would not help the people much. “It is meaningless,” said Revanasiddappa Darge, convenor of the Basava Bheema Sene. “We wanted the State government to shift secretary-level offices from Bengaluru to the Suvarna Soudha,’’ he said. He added that the Basava Bheema Sene will register its opposition to the decision.
