Suvarna Vidhana Soudha near Belagavi gathering moss on walls, pillars

BELAGAVI: The majestic Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on the outskirts of the city is now gathering moss due to disuse and lack of maintenance, with its walls, canopies and pillars turning reddish green. The district administration’s negligence is being blamed for the sorry state of affairs of the building.

The Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, on the national highway Halaga-Bastawadi villages, is losing its splendour due to the negligence of the authorities and lack of maintenance. Due to continuous rain, moss has accumulated on the walls and pillars.

The Suvarna Vidhana Soudha was built at a cost of nearly Rs 500 crore as a seat of power in the northern part of the state and the 10-day winter session of the legislature is normally conducted here in December. Every year, Rs 2.5 crore is set aside for maintenance of the building. But the building is spruced up only ahead of the session and remains neglected for the rest of the time.

Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan said he has already spoken to the PWD executive engineer regarding the issue. “Last year, the tender for maintenance was called a bit late, but it is valid till January next year. Preparatory work for the winter session is already going on and when the legislature is in session, we will carry out cleanliness and maintenance twice every day. After the session, we will seek fresh funds for maintenance and call for tenders”.

Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan.

The DC said there is no dearth of funds, but that rains were hindering the maintenance work. “As the tenderer raises bills, they are paid out”, he explained.