Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (DV)

Mangalore, Jun 14: The 12th general meeting of the zilla panchayat held in ZP meeting hall on Thursday June 13 saw heated arguments on several issues from language of communication to dengue and negligence of health officers to distribution of rice to schools.

"If two Karnataka MLAs can take oath in Marathi in the legislative assembly of Karnataka, what is wrong with taking oath in Tulu? Why was it not considered when Belthangady MLA Vasanth Bangera took oath in Tulu? Being in Tulunadu, it is a matter of pride for us and we can proudly say that we are Tuluvas. Hence, today’s ZP common meeting should be carried out only in Tulu language," demanded ZP member Santhosh Kumar Rai, speaking in Tulu.

Reiterating the views of Santhosh Kumar Rai, Tulasi Rai said, "Tulu language should be included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian constitution. We should be proud to speak in Tulu."
 
Reacting to this in Kannada, ZP member Mohammed MS said, "Even we have concern and respect for Tulu, but the meeting will be carried out in Kannada because the officers are from various regions and they cannot understand Tulu.  It is the wish of an individual to speak in any language and you cannot compel him to speak only in a particular language."     

Countering the reaction of Mohammed, Santhosh Kumar Rai added, "Officers are living here in Tulunadu and even the ZP president knows Tulu."    

Once the language of communication was decided, O Srirangappa, district health and family welfare officer, presented a video on prevention of dengue and said, "There are 1,400 hospitals in the district but the detection of dengue can be done only through ELISA test. But this is available in only three hospitals in the district —Wenlock Hospital, Fr Muller’s, and KMC Medical College. Dengue infection can be 100 percent identified only through the ELISA test. In order to prevent this, we are creating awareness among people."

MLC Monappa Bhandary, who was present on this occasion, said, "The government has given Rs 1 lac compensation to dengue victims in Mysore. The government must give Rs 1 lac compensation to dengue victims in Dakshina Kannada district."

Slamming the irresponsibility of DHO and heath officers, Mamatha Gatti said, "There is a saying that prevention is better than cure. But the DHO has failed to implement active measures and plans to control dengue. Even before monsoon, during March and June, DHO should have started an awareness programme for the people like providing bleaching powder and awareness programmes at taluk and gram panchayat levels."

"The union government has sanctioned crores of rupees under the NHRM programme to the health and family welfare department. Even the state government has sanctioned funds under various health programmes. Today, the DHO has to answer about the total amount in the department sanctioned by the government," demanded Gatti. In his defense, the situation DHO said, "At present, I don’t have the statistics about the total sanctioned funds. Provide me time to answer your questions. Now, I have to attend a medical officers’ meeting and as soon I finish the meeting I will provide the answers."  

Gatti queried "It is really a matter of negligence. Being a district level officer don’t you have the approximate numbers of funds in your department? Do you think that the representatives are fools? DHO is trying to fool the president and duck this issue."

Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, who was present on this occasion, said, "Officers should be updated with the information and they should attend the meeting with authentic facts and figures of developments. Officers telling lies and escaping from facts is really a blunder."

"Officers are not visiting the field. Instead they make ASHA activists get the statistics. The officers are really working in a negligent way," said Devaraj K S. 

When Mohammed M S referred to the incident where Akshara Dasoha rice bags containing less rice were distributed in Krishnanagar, Puttur, there was chaos in the meeting hall. The assistant director of the education department (Akshara Dasoha) clarified and said, "The particular school has written to the department as they found less rice in one bag".

Gatti replied, "Even worms have been found in the rice in Karaje School. It is due to the two month stocking of rice. Why can’t you provide good rice to the students? Will officers provide such rice to their own children", she questioned.

ZP CEO N Vijayaprakash and vice-president Rithesh Shetty were present.