Tendering process soon for collectorate revamp

The collectorate has also initiated renovation of tehsil offices at Shirur,Purandar and Baramati. A budget of Rs 44 crore has been earmared by the Public Works Department and Rs 10 lakh has been allotted by the government for the first phase of construction.

Deshmukh said the offices would be shifted to the new zilla parishad office when the buildings are pulled down for renovation. The layout will include three three-storey and four-storey buildings. The PWD department will also keep in mind the recommendations of the heritage committee. Stone cladding and rounded dome structures are part of the plan.

Meanwhile,the Divisional Commissionerate building will also undergo a revamp. Officials said a building would be constructed near the old building in the Rs 7.180-crore project. The government has sanctioned Rs 152 lakh for the same in the budget.

The British-era heritage building of the district collectorate as well its other extensions would be brought down to pave way for a new “corporate look”,but the historic council hall building will be spared. The revamp has been mooted to accommodate the growing staff and visitors at the collectorate and divisional commissionerate.

The main building at the collectorate,constructed in 1880,had housed the office of first district collector S G Barve after 1947 and several extensions were made on the six-acre campus over years.

Scanty rain in areas,only 13% sowing over

With only 13 per cent sowing complete,the average rainfall for the district — especially in the rainshadow regions of Daund and Indapur — is below expectations. Distict Collector Vikas Deshmukh said he was hopeful of rainfall picking up by July 10. Even as the district has recorded a good average for June,many areas in the district are lagging behind.