Delay in funds release halts KMC new council meeting hall construction midway

Construction of a new council hall at the Kothagudem Municipal Corporation office has reportedly stalled for three months amid delays in fund release. While corporators seek payment to resume work, independent corporator Kambhampati Durga Prasad questions the project’s necessity

Kothagudem: The Construction of a new council meeting hall at the Kothagudem Municipal Corporation (KMC) office has come to a standstill, reportedly due to delays in the release of funds.

Kothagudem Municipality was upgraded to a municipal corporation by merging Kothagudem and Palwancha municipalities with some gram panchayats in Sujatha Nagar mandal.

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Following the merger, the corporation’s council strength increased to 60 from the earlier 33 ward members. Corporators felt that the existing meeting hall was too cramped and inconvenient to accommodate all 60 members during council meetings.

They raised the issue with the Mayor and KMC officials and proposed the construction of a new council hall. It was subsequently decided to build a spacious hall above the corporation office using Rs 70 lakh from the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) Trust.

Initially, construction of the tin-roofed meeting hall progressed rapidly. However, the pace of work later slowed before coming to a complete halt. At present, only the roof sheets and walls have been completed.

Installation of doors and windows, a false ceiling and flooring remains pending. Electrical and other works, including the installation of lights, air-conditioning units, fans and a sound system with microphones, as well as the provision of chairs, furniture and other amenities, are also yet to be completed.

The contractor has reportedly invested nearly Rs 30 lakh of his own money in the project but has not received any payment so far. Work has remained stalled for the past three months. Corporators have urged the authorities to release funds to the contractor to expedite the project.

Meanwhile, independent corporator Kambhampati Durga Prasad maintained that the existing council hall was spacious enough to accommodate meetings and could continue to be used after modifications to its sound system and seating arrangements.

He alleged that construction of the new hall amounted to a waste of public money and was intended to generate commissions. He urged officials and corporators to ensure the judicious use of public funds.