Pic: SFI activists staged a protest in front of Govt SC/ST Residential First-Grade College located on the hill in Kalihal villageHaveri: On Monday, hundreds of students staged a protest in front of the Govt SC/ST Residential First-Grade College located on the hill in Kalihal village. The Times of India published articles regarding the sorry state of this college recently.The demonstration was led by the Haveri district committee of the Student Federation of India (SFI), which submitted a memorandum to the chief minister through KSRTC controller KB Nayak and principal Prof DT Patil.Students demanded various facilities, including accommodation and additional bus services for Govt SC/ST residential degree colleges in ten districts of the state.During the protest, SFI district president Basavaraj S stated that even after seven years since the establishment of govt SC/ST Residential First-Grade Colleges in the state, students are deprived of accommodation facilities. He added that the SFI Karnataka state committee strongly condemns the situation. “To ensure that students from SC/ST, backward classes, and economically disadvantaged rural areas are not deprived of education, the govt led by Siddaramaiah approved residential govt SC/ST first-grade colleges in ten districts of the state in 2017-18,” he added.He further said that in Haveri, the college, which previously conducted classes at different locations, has now commenced classes on its own well-equipped campus. However, due to a lack of proper regulations, hostel facilities have not been provided to students even after seven years. “The separate hostel buildings for boys and girls on the college campus built in Bhuveerapura, Haveri, have been ready for two years, yet the govt has not provided hostel facilities to students,” Basavaraj charged.SFI leaders Sunil Kumar L, Chamundeshwari, Usha Pujar, Pavitra Shingavi, and others were present on the occasion.
