Revenue Minister Krishna Byregowda reviews government works in Hassan

Revenue Minister Krishna Byregowda, who is also Minister in-charge of Hassan, reviewed the government programmes in a meeting in Hassan on Wednesday, and took officers to task for failing to provide information he sought during the review.

The minister was upset when the officers of the Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry were clueless about the agency that constructed the veterinary hospital in Mudalahippe, Holenarasipur taluk. During his recent visit to the district, the Minister visited the hospital and noticed that the structure had no gate and there was no one to serve the public. He wanted to know if the gate had not been included in the estimate.

The officers had no information about the agency that had secured the work. They attempted to contact their subordinates over the phone during the meeting. Expressing disappointment over the officers’ apathy, Mr. Krishna Byregowda questioned them, “Doesn’t their conduct exhibit the administration’s inertness?” Arasikere MLA K.M. Shivalinge Gowda, who was also present at the meeting, intervened to suggest the suspension of the officers for their failure to provide information.

The minister also expressed surprise at the functioning of the Adult Education Department, which had provided education to only a few thousand people over the years. He was unhappy with the statistics regarding the illiterates intended to be covered by the department.

While reviewing the work of the School Education Department, the minister felt that the State Government had initiated the process to increase the number of Karnataka Public Schools (KPS), which would be a major step towards providing quality education in rural areas.

H.M. Revanna, the chairman of the committee to monitor guarantee schemes, Naveen Raj Singh, secretary in-charge of the district, K.S. Latha Kumari, DC, and others were present at the meeting.