Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jun 19: An election petition has been indirectly blocking the renovation and restoration of a heritage building here. As such, the plan to renovate the old deputy commissioner's (DC) office building here has been dropped.

Defeated Congress candidate from Mangaluru (south) assembly constituency, J R Lobo, who was defeated by BJP candidate, D Vedavyas Kamath in 2018, had filed election petition, arguing that his party was defeated in the assembly election because of the misuse of electronic voting machine. This case is still in the state of hearing.

Till the case is disposed and judgement is delivered, the voting machines of the constituency cannot be meddled with. The electronic voting machines used for this assembly election as above have been kept securely in the old DC building. Therefore, the renovation planned under the Smart City Project cannot be undertaken for now.

This heritage building, which is over a century old, was built of red stones. During the British era, it served as the administrative building. Under the campaign of Mangalore Urban Development Authority to identify heritage buildings and conserve them, this building was included in the first phase itself. But because of improper maintenance and conservation, the building is in a dilapidated condition. A few government offices do function from this building even now.

In the past, the district administration had also examined a proposal to convert the old building into a museum. Finally, a plan to undertake renovation and conserve the building as a heritage balding at a cost of Rs 10 crore under the Smart City Project was approved. But now with electronic voting machines inside, this building cannot be undertaken for renovation work.

It is said that the court may take a couple of years more before the case is decided. Managing director of Smart City Project Mangaluru, Mohammed Nazeer, said that till the election commission issues orders, the electronic voting machines kept in the old building cannot be removed and therefore dropping of the renovation plan was the only option left before the administration.