JOIN US'Pouring excreta is not the way to protest'
He was speaking before mediapersons in the City, after paying a surprise visit to the Ambedkar Vidyarthi Nilaya, which is managed by the Department on Saturday.
The convention of carrying night-soil has been banned in the entire nation. People who indulge in the activity are also punished. Under such circumstances, protesting by drenching oneself in excreta is virtually indecent. The leaders of Scheduled Castes and Tribes should convince the protestors against staging such activities, said Narayanaswamy.
Hands tied
People who protest in such a manner are Dalits. The police are therefore unable to take legal action against them. “But it is necessary to stop such protests. The Home Ministry should take immediate steps in this direction,” he said.
He added that the matter of handling such protests as well as the inmates of the hostel being denied proper facilites will be taken up during a meeting with the Chief Minister on September 28.
The deaths in the Beggars’ Rehabilitation Centre in Bangalore led a minister to resign. The facilities in the Centre were said to be of poor quality. But about 80 per cent of the people in the Centre were from other states. “There are several rules to enrol in the Centre. But the authorities did not follow the rules,” he said.
Helpless
The Minister said the Hostel has turned virtually into a decaying mass. “This condition has not set in overnight. The problems have remained for the last 10 to 15 years. But the Social Welfare Ministry alone cannot solve these problems,” he said, expressing helplessness.
A bio-metric system is being brought into force to prevent misuse of funds in hostels. Authorities who fail to implement the system properly will be dismissed. The Lokayukta is investigating the discrepancies that took place in the hostels in Kolar district. Eight officers have already been suspended. Every action of misuse will be investigated closely and legal action will be taken against officers, contractors and all other corrupt parties, Narayanaswamy warned.
Order to arrest
He instructed Department superintendent Manjula Prasad on the spot to register a criminal case immediately against Taluk Department officer suspended for discrepancy. He also instructed Additional Police Superintendent H R Bhagavandas to arrest the officer immediately. The Minister later attended a meeting at the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
He demanded complete information regarding the tenders called during the last five years in relation to the Hostel, the things supplied to the Hostel, the contractors, the supplies in the Hostel when a warden was transferred and the authority was passed on.