DEVANAHALLI (BENGALURU RURAL): At an age when internet connectivity is an essential requirement for public administration, facilities at the Bengaluru Rural Deputy Commissioner's office or lack thereof come as a surprise. Though the offices were shifted from the heart of Bengaluru city to a newly built administrative complex near Vishwanathpura village in Devanahalli taluk recently, it is yet to have access to telephone and internet connectivity.
Officials working at the office, under the condition of anonymity, said that they have been forced to use internet services available in their phones for uploading data regarding various projects of the government. Apart from it, communication within the office and other district offices has also been affected despite the dependence on mobile phones. However, Bengaluru Rural Deputy Commissioner Kari Gowda is confident that the services will be installed in the office in a few days.
During a visit by The New Indian Express, it was learnt that works in the hastily inaugurated building were yet to be completed. Construction for a mini-auditorium inside the complex was still under progress while works were also being taken up in other office rooms. The complex was riddled with various other problems, including access to water, said an official. When asked, an official said that lack of internet and telephones
has affected the workplace. "It's been more than a month since many offices of the district were shifted here. Communication between departments that have shifted here has been difficult as there is no landline.
Moreover, uploading data of various schemes online has also become a challenge as mobile data connections are often unsteady," the official added. When contacted, Kari Gowda, Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Rural district said that arrangements are being made to install telephone and internet connectivity. "The lines are being installed and could be complete in the next two to three days," he said. To a question, he said that the delay in installing the lines was since official activity had started at the complex only about a month ago.