Pics: Arun Uppinangady
Daijiworld Media Network—Puttur (RD)
News: U L Uday Kumar
 
Puttur, Mar 22: Lush greenery can be found on 800 acres of K C Farm located in Koila village, near here, which comes under the state animal husbandry department. This will be developed as the lone animal husbandry centre in Dakshina Kannada district. Chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda announced that Rs 60 crore has been earmarked in the budget to set up a veterinary college, which was a long pending demand of the people in the district.

Rumours had spread in the neighbourhood during 1950 that an airport will be developed on the state-owned land of 800 acre plot. The state animal husbandry department had originally planned to develop the plot to set up an animal husbandry centre, to rear new breeds of local livestock, but this did not materialize for a long time.

The locals followed up the issue of setting up a veterinary college in order to better utilize the 800 acre plot at Koila, by presenting memorandums to ministers and people’s representatives concerned for many years, which all went in vain. However, CM Gowda, who is a native of Dakshina Kannada district, has taken an interest in setting up a veterinary college by marking funds in the state budget.
 
The plot has been misused by picnickers who ruined the beauty of the land. There are bottles and plastics strewn everywhere in the pristine hillocks and it has become a safe haven for evil elements. The security men dare not to confront the picnickers who spend their weekends merrily, disregarding the eco-environment.
 
The local leaders urged the CM to better use the state-owned land to set up a veterinary college and he had personally visited the land during one of his visits to the taluk. The residents of Dakshina Kannada, especially Koila village, are thankful to the CM for fulfilling their long pending for a veterinary college.