Fund raising by private organisations draws flak

 Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy Registrar has filed a complaint with the police, alleging that a few organisations had raised funds in the name of the Academy for the Samskrithika Mela organised by the Academy at Kakkabbe and Hudikeri villages last year.

The Academy, in association with the Highlanders Family Club, had organised Kodava Samskrithika Mela on November 15 and 16. Similarly, a mela was organised in association with Hudikeri Kodava Samaja in Virajpet taluk on December 20 and 21. The Academy had released Rs 7 lakh and Rs 3 lakh each for conducting the programmes.

The Academy had received complaints on organisations raising funds. It had also received receipt books used for collecting the fund.

In fact, Academy Registrar Mangala Nayak had written a letter to the Highlanders Family Club and Hudikeri Kodava Samaja president asking not to raise funds from the public. “The mela will be organised by the Academy fund only. All the raised fund should be deposited to the account of the Academy,” said the letter.

Reacting to the letter, club president Kalyatanda Raghu Thammaiah, in a letter dated January 28, said: “On the direction of the Academy president B S Thammaiah, funds were raised for serving food. The fund of Rs 99,500 and receipt books have been handed over to the Academy president.”

Refuting the charges of the letter, Academy president Thammaiah said: “The club members did not hand over the raised fund to me. I have not approved raising the funds,” in his letter to the Registrar, dated February 6.

Meanwhile, Hudikeri Kodava Samaja president C C Kuttappa said: “As the Academy President and members had permitted, we had raised funds from the public. However, we did not raise fund in the name of the Academy”.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Registrar Mangala Nayak said: “Funds cannot be raised for academy programmes. If any public wishes to hand over money, it can be deposited to the account of the Academy either through DD or cheque. As rules have been violated, complaints have been registered at Napoklu police station and Srimangala station”.