‘Why is govt constituting committee to study Tulu language?’

The government should have made its stand clear on announcing Tulu as the second official language in the state, he said

Deputy Leader of Opposition in Assembly U T Khader has demanded clarity on the committee constituted by the government on declaring Tulu as Karnataka’s second official language.

‘’What was the need for constituting a committee to study when there are a few months left for the Assembly elections? Instead of constituting a committee, the government should have made its stand clear on announcing Tulu as the second official language in the state,’’ he told reporters at the Circuit House on Monday.

Whether there was any need for constituting a committee to study Tulu, which has over 2500 years of history with enough documents, including literary works to prove its merit, he said, ‘’I have great respect for educationist Dr M Mohan Alva who is heading the committee. Constituting a committee is an insult to Tulu and a betrayal of people of Tulu Nadu.”

There is an academy on Tulu, Yakshagana and script in Tulu. It is taught as an optional subject in schools and colleges. In such a scenario, what was the need for constituting the committee? he asked.

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Abbakka Utsava

The MLA said that the state government has reduced the grant given for Abbakka Utsava to Rs 10 lakh instead of Rs 50 lakh. In 2008, Rs 25 lakh was sanctioned for organising Abbakka Utsava and later it was increased to Rs 50 lakh, he added. The Kannada and Culture minister, who is also the district in-charge minister, has sanctioned only Rs 10 lakh this year.

“I will raise it in the assembly and will also write to the government to release an additional grant for organising Abbakka Utsava,” Khader said.

No budgetary allocation for tunnel

U T Khader said that the Union Budget did not make any budgetary allocation for the proposed Shiradi Ghat tunnel project.

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had written to the DK MP on finalising tunnel work on Shiradi Ghat at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore recently. However, the minister while answering to a question posed in the Lok Sabha, had said that the government had dropped the plan to build tunnels on Shiradi Ghat and had decided to construct a four-lane road to address the vehicle density on this stretch of National Highway-75.

"The minister and MP are trying to mislead the people of the state. DK MP should answer to the people of the district on why no budgetary allocation was made for the tunnel project. The union budget has neglected Karnataka and thereby has betrayed the people of the state," he added.