Ragi replaces students in school

No welfare

Grass and ragi crops are piled in the entrance of the school. There is absolutely no place to accommodate the students nor an atmosphere to stay. Some of the remaining rooms are reserved to facilitate  the residents.

This supposed to be residential school for pre-metric girls (1st to 5th standard) at Bovi colony in Gajaladinne village in the taluk. Still the compound is being built. Dalit associations had fought for the school many years ago. As a result the place at Gajaladinne was identified and the residential school was built some years ago.

But listing problems like situated in the outskirts, no proper road facility, water problem, none of the students were ready to join the school nor the parents were ready to send their children here.

Though it was tried to shift Nachiketa pre-matric school boys to this school, this venture also failed. The sources also say that the school staff who are not ready to move to the new place is also the main reason behind the school being in present situation.

Renovation

Thus, it was decided to renovate the school with new infrastructure. The fund was also granted two years ago. The commissioner of the Department for Social Welfare had written on March 2 last year regarding the matter.

Based on this, on March 22, the CEO of the Zilla Panchayat had directed the Social Welfare officer , that the residential school at Bhovi colony should be shifted to some other building. But still no action is taken and the school is not shifted.

Complaint to Lokayukta

In 2009, Gandhinagar K C Rajanna of the taluk had registered a complaint with Lokayukta, blaming the negligence of officers of the Department for bad condition of the school.

Responding to the complaint, the then Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad detailed that the residential school was built by the Karnataka Land Army, now known as Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited at a cost of Rs 64.07 lakh. The school was taken into control by the KLA on June 8 in 2002.

Initially, it was a post metric boys school and they were also given bus facility. But as the school was far from the city, students expressed disappointment. Thus the school was shifted to the city.

The school in Bovi colony was left unattended from then. Meanwhile, miscreants have broke open the door of the school and destroyed the infrastructure.

In 2008, on November 18, Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited was granted Rs 17.40 lakh to repair the school. The department Secretary also visited here.

Two years have passed since the complaint was lodged with the Lokayukta, still no action has been taken. The building is being misused. The Zilla Panchayat and the Department should consider the matter and irregularity here should be stopped.