Mysore: “We shape our buildings and afterwards they shape us,” Winston Churchill had once quipped.

The imposing Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru best sums up this observation as it is almost a metonym for Karnataka’s seat of power, just as the Parliament in New Delhi.

Vidhana Soudha’s influence in the State is perhaps far more abiding and overbearing if one were to look at the sheer number of its replicas dotting Karnataka. There are more than 170 such mini-Soudhas across the State and there is one in every taluk. Even Mysuru has a Mini Vidhana Soudha at Nazarbad but unfortunately that has become a ‘stinking den.’

One cringes in disgust seeing the absolute lack of maintenance of the majestic structure.

Almost every visitor curses the authorities for the dirt and muck dominating the structure and its interiors. Hundreds of people visit this place on all working days since the building houses the Taluk office, offices of the Sub-Registrar, Taluk Panchayat, Assistant Director of Land Records, Assistant Director of Agriculture, State Bank of India and many other Departments.

The foundation stone for the Mini Vidhana Soudha was laid by the then Minister for Public Works H.D. Revanna, on August 14, 2004. The building complex was built at a cost of Rs. 8.2 crore. The structure stands on a 2-acre plot, where the Old Tahsildar’s office was located.

Built at a cost of Rs. 8.2 crore

The office was pulled down nine years ago to make way for the complex. Owing to delays and design changes, the total cost was revised from the initial estimate of Rs. 6 crore to Rs. 8.2 crore in 2011. The building was given a heritage look and so several modifications were made to the initial plan.

The building has a cellar meant exclusively for parking and the important sections are sub-registrars’ office, Tahsildar’s Office, Taluk Panchayat office and the Council Hall. The full-fledged building was inaugurated in 2013. The Mini Vidhana Soudha accommodates various government departments under one roof but poor maintenance has drawn flak from people.

Malfunctioning lifts, stinking toilets

Officials have turned a blind eye to repair the malfunctioning lift which has not been properly functioning since the last six months. Aged, women and differently-abled persons are finding it difficult to reach the second floor on the staircase.

Foul smell emanates from the first and second door of the building and the doors of the toilets are locked always. A large number of visitors have been using the toilets on the ground floor but it is a harrowing and a stinky experience even to enter the toilet section.  

Parking free for all

Rain water stagnation in the cellar has turned into a mosquito-breeding hub. Due to lack of parking space in the city, most of the vehicle owners heading towards Bengaluru and other places from Sub-Urban Bus Stand park their vehicles in the cellar. And there are several unclaimed vehicles in the parking lot. Haphazard parking of vehicles by the public in front of the building has also causing problem for the free movement of people from one office to another office.

A visitor said, “There were lots of expectations when the Mini Vidhana Soudha was inaugurated but these expectations remain unfulfilled. The construction work was completed in a tearing hurry. There is no security to keep a watch and none of the local Ministers or any top official has visited the Mini Vidhana Soudha to review the condition of the building.”

No drinking water facilities

Though Mini Vidhana Soudha looks magnificent to the people outside but once inside people get a different picture of disorganised set up. There is no drinking water facility and not even for employees working in this building.

Lack of civic sense among public to maintain cleanliness in the Mini Vidhana Soudha surroundings further add to the problem. People want the Deputy Commissioner or Additional Deputy Commissioner to pay surprise visits to mend the situation.

Sorry state of affairs

Lack of safety measures to protect crucial records in the Record Room has also drawn public criticism. Piling up of records at every nook and corner of this section paints another grim picture of the sorry state of affairs. People can walk away with files and rare records easily after entering this room as there is no safety and security measure in place.

By M.T. Yogesh Kumar