Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (RD)

Bantwal, Mar 20: ABVP activists staged a protest in Vittal town, near here, on Monday March 19, urging the state education department to provide financial assistance to construct a building for the Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Vittal.

Although Vittal ITI was started in 2002, the classes for five vocational classes are being held in the premises of Vittal gram panchayat old building and a private building. Despite the union government advancing an interest free loan of Rs 2.5 crore to IMC Society under PPP project in order to upgrade Vittal ITI, it cannot be utilized since machinery and teaching materials cannot be bought as the Institute does not have its own building.

A plot has been approved by the authorities at Sigeballe in Vittal–Kasaba village. Even though Rs 2 crore was sanctioned under IRDP NABARD project in 2009, it has been diverted to ITI in Mangalore, thereby causing Vittal to lose the opportunity to own a building.

ABVP staged a protest to urge the state administration to provide funds to construct a building for Vittal ITI, in view of the above mentioned hurdles.

ABVP also urged the state administration to approve an exam centre in Vittal, to facilitate students arriving from far away places to fill backlog of posts and to approve girls’ hostels. A memorandum in this regard was presented to deputy Tahsildar Sridar Gowda to forward the same to state labour minister, employment and training commissioner, Mangalore, ZP president, DC Dr Chennappa Gowda, and other concerned officials.

ABVP senior activist Vinay Alangar, state executive committee member Ravi Manila, district convener Navinraj, secretary Yatish Anantady, college secretary Kiranraj, Rajesh Acharya M, Vidhya, Divya, and Pratibha led the protest.