Mangaluru: Padmashree Harekala Hajabba, the illiterate legendary orange seller who used the earnings of his humble profession to establish a primary school at his remote village called Newpadpu in Harekala, is about to witness the beginning of a PU college which was his long time dream. After a high school in the village, the government has now granted permission for the Pre-University College here and the classes are set to begin this year.

Many students of the village who passed SSLC stayed out of PUC due to the far distance they had to go to reach a college. Hajabba had tried hard to get a college here to benefit these rural students. Finally, the government had ordered for the establishment of a college at Newpadpu, a year ago. 1.3 acre of land was reserved for the college in Daganepadpu which has been registered under the Department of Pre-University Education.

Arts and commerce classes are set to begin in the current academic year and Prof Abdul Razak, faculty of economics at Government PU College Nalyapadavu, has been appointed as the in-charge principal for the college. Department of PU Education Assistant Director Jayanna stated that required number of lecturers would be appointed once the admission processes were done with. Lecturers from Government PU colleges with lesser work load and guest lecturers would be appointed for the posts. Padmashree Harekala Hajabba expressed joy for the beginning of the college and said that the local students would be benefited by it.

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Jhansi (UP) (PTI): Two more infants rescued from a fire that ripped through the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College here have died, taking the total toll in the blaze to 17, a senior official said on Sunday.

Thirty-nine newborns were rescued from a devastating fire in the medical college hospital's neonatal intensive care unit on the night of November 15.

Dr Narendra Singh Sengar, the medical college's principal, told PTI that of the 39 infants rescued, two more died on Saturday.

While 10 babies died on the night of the fire, the remainder succumbed to their "illnesses", he said.

A post-mortem of the two bodies was done on Saturday and the cause of death was confirmed as "illness" in both cases. The bodies have been handed over to the family members, Sengar said.

The birth weight of both infants was 800 grams and one of them also had a hole in the heart, he added.

Meanwhile, Congress sources said on Sunday that the party's state chief Ajay Rai and Barabanki MP Tanuj Punia would travel to Jhansi and visit the medical college. They will also meet the families whose babies died in the fire.