Four gram panchayats in Karnataka’s Mysuru district have received purpose-built administrative buildings under the VB-G RAM G (NREGA) scheme, ending their dependence on rented premises, community halls and school buildings for local governance services.
The new buildings have been constructed for Avarthi, Poonadahalli, Haranahalli and Ramanathathunga gram panchayats in Piriyapatna taluk. The buildings at Avarthi and Poonadahalli were constructed at a cost of ₹28 lakh each, while those at Haranahalli and Ramanathathunga cost ₹20 lakh each, according to a report by Prajavani – Mysuru.
Buildings at Avarthi, Poonadahalli and Haranahalli have already been inaugurated and are functioning. The Ramanathathunga gram panchayat building has also been inaugurated, but the panchayat is yet to shift to the new premises.
Gram panchayat offices are the primary local centres for administration, development work and public services in rural areas. The report said the earlier premises did not provide adequate space for routine administration, public interaction or the preservation of official records. In some cases, panchayat operations were being conducted from small community halls or school rooms because suitable rental buildings were unavailable.
The new buildings include larger spaces for meetings, training sessions and public programmes. They also have toilets, addressing a basic facilities gap faced by residents and officials when the panchayats operated from rented buildings, community facilities or school rooms.
Separate rooms have been provided for the panchayat president, the panchayat development officer, the development extension officer and the bill collector. A dedicated room has also been created for storing gram panchayat records.
The shift to permanent premises is expected to improve the organisation of records and provide a more consistent setting for public services. The report linked the construction of the buildings to the role of the VB-G RAM G (NREGA) scheme in creating permanent assets in rural areas.
The change also illustrates how the quality of local administrative infrastructure can affect day-to-day access to government services. When offices operate from cramped or temporary premises, space for public interaction, official records, meetings and staff functions is limited. The new buildings provide designated areas for these activities, although the extent of improvement in service delivery will depend on their continued use and maintenance.
The four projects have therefore addressed a basic infrastructure requirement for the concerned gram panchayats: a permanent office equipped for administration, public visits, meetings and record storage. The immediate pending step is the relocation of the Ramanathathunga gram panchayat to its inaugurated building.
