The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Probe sought into Kodava academy affairs

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Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008
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Karnataka

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Probe sought into Kodava academy affairs

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The Kannada Nudi Kannada Gadi Jagriti Jatha Samiti has urged Governor Rameshwar Thakur to dissolve the Kodava Sahitya Academy and order an inquiry into the alleged misuse of office by its chairperson Ulliyada Dati Poovaiah.

Samiti convenors Mukhyamantri Chandru (MLC), Chandrashekhara Patil (president of Kannada Sahitya Parishat) and B. Suresh (filmmaker) told presspersons here on Tuesday that the samiti was forced to bring to the Governor’s attention the issue for the second time as neither the Governor’s office nor the Department of Kannada and Culture bothered to look into the issue.

The academy was constituted in 1993. It had been given annual grants on a par with other academies. The Government had released Rs. 83 lakh to Kodava academy alone in the last three years.

Even the Lokayukta had registered a complaint against Ms. Poovaiah. Following this, all the 12 members of the academy had resigned. Academy Registrar Muniraju went on long leave. The Government should immediately dismantle the academy and initiate criminal proceedings against Ms. Poovaiah and others responsible for the reported illegal activities, they pleaded.

Kannada Bhavana

The samiti urged the Governor to take up the pending construction of Kannada Bhavana in all the border districts as envisaged by the H.D. Kumaraswamy Government.

The Government had released Rs. 1.50 crore for the construction of Kannada Bahvana in Madikeri in 2006. The then Minister for Kannada and Culture Mahadeva Prasad had even laid the foundation stone for it. But with the fall of the Kumaraswamy Government, the work was stopped.

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