Absence of education dept officials leaves safai karmachari commission chief furious

Mysuru: Chairman of the Karnataka State Safai Karmachari Commission, M Shivanna, upset with the truancy of the deputy director of public instruction (DDPI), Mysuru, and the local block education officer (BEO) at the interactive session held on Wednesday to discuss promote the education of children of pourakarmikas, directed the authorities concerned to issue a show-cause notice to both officials. The session, organised by the safai karmachari commission at Kudremala Government Higher Primary School in Gangothri Layout in Mysuru city, was held to collect inputs from officials across departments to outline a plan aimed at ensuring education for children of civic workers.
The absence of the DDPI and the local BEO, crucial to the implementation of any plan devised by the government, riled Shivanna. Despite assurances from Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) additional commissioner MG Rupa of the two officials being served notice, Shivanna insisted that the safai karmachari commission secretary too issue a notice to the DDPI and BEO. Shivanna pointed out that all the officials had been informed about the interactive session well in advance.
Meanwhile, representatives of pourakarmikas’ organisations questioned the failure of the education department to renovate buildings of eight schools in the pourakarmika colony. They said that repeated complaints to the authorities concerned had gone unheeded. They added that their concerns had also been relayed to the respective headmasters, and members of the school development monitoring committees (SDMCs).
Children of the civic workers who participated in the session expressed their wish to become doctors, engineers, and pursuing their dreams in other noble professions.
Civic workers’ representatives in attendance also criticised the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (Muda) for dragging its feet on the allotment of 1.6-acre-plot for the construction of houses for the pourakarmikas. They pointed out that the State Slum Clearance Board had expressed its readiness to foot the bill for both the land, and the construction of houses. They pointed out that all that was now needed was a letter of approval from Muda to set the wheels in motion for the project.
Shivanna later visited the Kudremala Pourakarmika Colony, which houses the families of 150 civic workers, to take stock of the conditions. He was dismayed to find the residents dwelling in conditions markedly unhygienic. But MCC additional commissioner Rupa informed him that the slum clearance board had initiated work on construction of 22 houses in the colony.
MCC zonal assistant commissioner Chandramma, safai karmachari commission secretary Chandrakala, joint director of social welfare department, Malathi were among those who participated in the session.