Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (DV)

Mangalore, May 29: B R Yavagal, chairman of the legislature committee on Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare Committee on Thursday May 29 expressed dissatisfaction with the district administration over inadequate facilities in the DC's meeting hall.

He was in the city to chair a district review meeting at the DC's office here on issues related to backward classes and minorities (BCM).

At the beginning of the meeting a visibly annoyed Yavagal said, "There is no adequate facility here (in the meeting hall). This not the way to receive a committee. The committee consists of 15 members from the lower house and 5 from the upper house. This should not recur in future."

In response, thes DC A B Ibrahim explained, "The district administration received information about the committee's arrival yesterday. The committee members demanded a meeting in the DC's office, hence it has been organized here."

As the committee members found the meeting hall to be congested, the DC suggested shifting the meeting venue to the ZP office soon after lunch. However, chairman Yavagal asked him to continue the meeting in the same hall.

The meeting highlighted the pathetic condition of Puttur Morarji Desai Residential School where 150 students were accomodated in a single rented room as the construction of the school was going. Though it has been six years, the work on the school is still not over. Yavagal asked the Karnataka State Residential Institution Society (KSRIS) to complete the work soon, before the end of August.

Deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim said that the responsibility of supervising such hostels should be given to the district administration. The DC also said that he as well as his predecessor had sent a letter to the state government explaining the condition of the hostel.

Mankal Vaidya, MLA of Bhatkal asked A C Krishnamurthy, officer of BCM Hostel, to grant funds to build approved hostels. "Though there are crores of rupees with the department, why hasn't the work on hostels been started yet? They are poor students, please provide justice to them," he urged.

The DC said the land which has been sanctioned for the BCM hostel is presently mired in a court case and the issue will be resolved in a month.

The social welfare officer complained that workers staff working in BCM hostels have not been receiving salaries from the last 10 months. He said he had already sent a report on this.

Regarding basic facilities in BCM hostels, already Rs 13 lac has been sanctioned for solar water heaters, but they have not been installed yet, he said.

The DC also urged for a separate Muslim BCM hostel for post-metric students.

On this occasion MLA Mohiuddin Bava, Sullia MLA S Angara and other members of the committee were present.