Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (TP)
Udupi, Jun 12: The public here demanded the re-opening of two-year agricultural diploma course, in a protest staged by likeminded associations near Udupi DC office on June 12.
The protest was held with the help of various associations such as Udupi District Farmers' Association, Centre of Indian Trade Union, Dalith Sangharsha Association, Karnataka Prantha Farmer Association and Karnataka Pranth Agricultural Labourers’ Association, over the closing down of Agriculture Diploma College in Brahmavar.
In the protest, like-minded association members, teaching and non-teaching staffs demanded the reopening of the college as a degree college and to utilize the building and student hostel built costing Rs 15 crore, as it will goe waste. The closing of the college will affect the teaching and non-teaching staff of the college as thet will lose their jobs. They demanded re-opening of the college, which is the only means of their livelihood.
Balakrishna Shetty, Udupi district and state vice president, Centre of Indian Trade Union, talking about the closure of college, said, “The government prepared an order for converting the diploma college to a degree college, but due to lack of will-power, it failed. Today, we are sad that they are closing the diploma college. Udupi district has a very few government colleges and now they are trying to shut down the existing college. We demand to open the agricultural college and make it a proper degree college.”
Sampigedi Sanjeev Shetty, famer, speaking about the importance of college, said, “To utilize mechanization inagriculture, basic education is necessary. Due to unemployment, one can pursue education in agriculture and develop his own agriculture. If they shut the agriculture diploma college down, we will stage a fierce protest, until they reopen the college.”
Balakrishna Shetty, Sudhakar Shetty, Sathish Shetty, Kaviraj, K Shankar, K Suresh Kallagar, Shashidar Golla, Subhash Nayak, Moodoli Ramesh Shetty and others were present in the protest.