Puttur: Row over razing of 156-year-old school building, DC seeks report
Puttur, Dec 15: The demolition of a 156-year-old heritage school building at Nellikatte in Puttur taluk of Dakshina Kannada district has kicked up a controversy, after which the DK deputy commissioner K V Rajendra has sought a report from the education department.
The heritage structure was built by the British East India Company in 1865 to cater to the schooling needs of the region. Jnanpith awardee Dr K Shivaram Karanth had also used the building to direct plays and the villagers had wanted the building to be restored as a memorial museum after the litterateur.
The building was razed overnight three days back by the school development and monitoring committee (SDMC) which claimed that the building was beyond repair.
According to SDMC president Panchakshari, a part of the dilapidated building collapsed when they tried to carry out some repair work on the building. The building was then razed as it posed threat to students as the school ground is located nearby.
Classes were not being held in the building for long and a proposal to restore the building was pending before the authorities.
Following an uproar from literary enthusiasts and villagers over the demolition, DK district deputy commissioner K V Rajendra has directed the deputy director of public instruction (DDPI) and zilla panchayat chief executive officer to submit a report on the incident.
People claimed that the SDMC did not have the authority to take a decision on demolition. They also did not inform the departments concerned before razing the structure.
The DDPI has now sought a report from the block education officer who has served a notice to SDMC and the school headmaster seeking an explanation on the circumstances that led to the demolition.
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Separate nodal officer in all districts to prevent female foeticides in Karnataka: Minister
Belagavi (PTI): Accepting that the female foeticide has not stopped in the state, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday said that the government is taking strict measures to prevent it.
The minister said the government is appointing separate nodal officers in all districts and tightening measures to prevent foeticide, which he called a "social evil".
He also assured that the government will consider strengthening legislation to control such activities.
The minister was responding to a question by BJP MLC C T Ravi in the Legislative Council.
"Female foeticides have certainly not stopped. If you look at the sex ratio, there is a lot of difference. I accept that this is happening," Rao said.
"Foeticides are not happening under pressure; voluntarily, it is happening, for not wanting a girl child. These things are happening based on the sex determination of the foetus at some hospitals. Sex determination is illegal, but with the advancement in technology, portable ultrasound machines have been developed, which can be easily carried anywhere, and scans and tests can be done. This needs to be controlled. We will bring it to the notice of the central government," he said.
In some districts and in a few hospitals, a higher number of male child births is happening. It is found with the help of intelligence input, the minister said.
"Information is being gathered on the taluk in which the male-female ratio is worsening, what is happening in which hospital, and appropriate action is being taken to crack down on such a network, after proper evaluation."
Decoy operations have been done at seven places in the last two years, to identify those involved in illegal activities linked to female foeticides, and actions have been taken against officials and hospitals involved, he said, adding that more needs to be done on priority.
Responding to a question by Ravi about whether any stringent legislation is being brought, Rao said, the government will consider strengthening the legislation and making it stricter to control this.
"Some amendments have been made to the existing laws in the last two years....advanced technology and the internet is being used to carry out such things, also oral medicines for abortions are available over the counter.
We need to look into bringing legislation to control them. The Food and Drug Administration has issued instructions to pharmacists that the sale of such drugs should be documented."
The minister also said that measures are also being taken for the effective implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act, and awareness is being created against the identification of female foetuses and female foeticide.
