Mangaluru: The new deputy commissioner’s office complex, which is under construction at Padil, will require one more year for completion. The 2.3 lakh square foot three-storey building is being built on 5.8 acres.

The building will accommodate 38 departments and offices of MLAs and MP. The construction was initially planned at an estimated cost of Rs 41 crore, but the actual cost may cross Rs 55 crore, said Umanath Kotian, MLA, Moodbidri.

He told reporters, after inspecting the work on Sunday, that though the project was started in 2018, it suffered a financial deadlock due to the farm loan waiver, and the flood that resulted in huge losses in the state. Later, the cost of construction increased due to the hike in price of materials. The government will release funds and expedite the work, he said.

“Though the site for the construction of the DC’s office complex was identified in 2014, the project could not be taken up due to litigation related to the forest department. Within a month we will convene a meeting here which will also be attended by the eight MLAs from the district, Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, district minister Kota Shrinivas Poojari and district in-charge secretary V Ponnuraj. The meeting will discuss initiatives to complete the project at the earliest, and a delegation will meet chief minister B S Yediyurappa seeking funds. We will make this DC’s office complex a model one for the entire state,” the MLA said.

The new DC’s office complex will sport a spacious parking facility and accommodate 175-200 cars.

Prabhakar Yeyyadi is the project contractor. In fact, the project, which commenced on February 9, 2018, should have been completed before August 2019. At present, Rs 32 crore has already been spent to complete the structural work of the complex. The government has already released Rs 24 crore, he said, adding that the remaining funds will be released in a phased manner.
He said there are plans to hand over the old DC’s office complex in the city to the Mangaluru Smart City Limited. However, discussion in this regard is still in the initial stage, he added.