Activists of the Backward Class Morcha of Bharatiya Janata Party staged a protest here on Saturday urging the government to upgrade the basic amenities in the hostels of students from Backward Classes run by the Department of Social Welfare.
Addressing the protest meet, S. Jnaneshwar, president of the BJP’s local unit, said that there were 11 hostels for students from Backward Classes in Shivamogga and the basic amenities in a majority of these hostels were pathetic. As many hostels were located on the outskirts of the city, students had to spend a lot of time and money to go to their colleges. The government should initiate measures to provide clean drinking water in the hostels and maintain cleanliness there. Mr. Jnaneshwar urged the government to set up a library and a computer learning each in every hostel. As Shivamogga had emerged as a hub of higher education in recent times, students from neighbouring districts were coming here to pursue education. There was a mismatch between the number of seats available in the hostels for Backward Classes and the number of aspirants during admission to schools and colleges here this year. As a result, many students had to stay in private hostels and pay-home facilities by paying hefty amount as fee.
The number of seats in the hostels for Backward Classes should be enhanced, he said.
The protesters submitted a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Vala through the Deputy Commissioner in this regard.Functionaries of BJP S.N. Channabasappa, N.G. Nagaraj and R. Lakshman took part in the protest.
