1966 Floor Pan / Transmission Tunnel Question

Hello everyone,

We are working to replace the floor pan in our 1966 dodge dart. We discovered a hole had been cut in trans tunnel (see pic). Initially I assumed this was cut to facilitate a repair but that didn't seem right based on location. Possible this is from factory? Likely repair either way but wanted to see what you all thought/knew.

Thank you.

dart floor.jpg