Veterinary college in Koila will start in the next academic year: Karnataka minister

Mangaluru: Minister for Animal Husbandry, and Sericulture K Venkatesh said that measures will be taken to start veterinary college in Koila from the next academic year.

Speaking after inspecting the ongoing work of the college at Koila in Kadaba taluk, he said to start the college, permission from Veterinary Council of India (VCI) needs to be received.

Before the permission, we have to set right a few shortcomings in the college. Steps have been taken in this regard. Necessary steps have been taken to provide the necessary facilities for the commencement of classes for the first year and second year.

The minister said Rs 136 crore have been utilised on the construction of buildings for starting the college and Rs 18 crore havbe been released for completing the pending works.

The college, hostel buildings, laboratory and other basic facilities have been completed and posts of 13 teaching faculty and 32 other posts have been sanctioned.

The minister said that permission from the Veterinary Council of India (VCI) is awaited and all the processes will be completed at the earliest.

He added that more priority should be given to raising rare livestock breeds in the livestock breeding training centre. The production of value-added products of livestock and poultry should be increased and new breeds should be introduced.

The minister also directed officials to take up programmes to support dairy farming in Dakshina Kannada as the number of people rearing cattle is on decline in the district.

If land is not available for veterinary clinics sanctioned in various parts of the district, it should be shifted elsewhere, the minister added.

The minister asked the head office in Bengaluru to take appropriate action in the wake of complaints that insurance companies are not responding to farmers during livestock insurance claims. A veterinary poly clinic has been sanctioned to Puttur and the work on the building will be taken up shortly.

When the villagers brought the issue of poor quality of the work with seepage in the veterinary college buildings during monsoon, the Karnataka minister questioned the officials and asked them to repair it immediately.

He also visited the gaushala coming under the department of animal husbandry and checked the facilities.

MLA Bhagirathi Murulya said that a gaushala building work at Sullia taluk has been completed. Additional funds are required to provide basic facilities.

In fact, the veterinary college in Koila (which is the seventh college in state) was announced by former chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda in 2012–13 budget. The Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Science University in Bidar received 247 acres of land in Koila from Animal Husbandry Livestock Breeding and Training Centre for building the college.

In fact, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah had laid the foundation for the Veterinary college project in October 2016 and had expressed confidence that Karnataka Housing Board (KHB), Star Builders and Developers will complete the buildings by 2019. However, owing to various reasons including fund crunch, the project was delayed over a period of time.

Department of animal husbandry, and fisheries principal secretary Vinothpriya R and others were present.