BENGALURU: Initiating suo motu proceedings on The New Indian Express report titled Hop, skip and jump takes a new meaning at this school, the Karnataka Lokayukta has directed the authorities concerned to redress the grievance of the students and teachers by removing the obstructions to the access road to reach the Government Primary School at Vignana Nagar in KR Puram in the city.
Referring to the report published in The New Indian Express on February 24, 2021, Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanatha Shetty observed that the failure on the part of the concerned authorities to provide a proper access road to the school in his considered view falls within the meaning of 'mal-administration' under Section 2(1) of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act and the hardship or injustice caused to the students is required to be addressed.
"I am of the view that it is desirable for me to consider the story published in The New Indian Express as source material to exercising the suo motu power under Section 7(1)(b) and 9(3)(a) of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act. Accordingly, I exercise my suo motu power and the office is directed to register this proceeding as suo motu proceeding," Justice Shetty said in the order passed on Friday.
The Justice directed the registry to implead the Principal Secretary, Department of Primary and Secondary Education, Commissioner of Public Instructions, Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru Urban District, Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Panchayat, Tahsildar of Bengaluru East taluk, Deputy Director of Public Instructions, North Taluk and the Block Education Officer, KR Puram, as respondents.
He directed the registry to issue notice to them to examine the issue and redress the grievance of the students without further loss of time by removing any obstructions placed for access to the school. He has given them three weeks to submit their reply.
"After dictating the order and before it could be signed, another report titled Students happy, school to get a road soon was published by The New Indian Express on February 26, 2021. This story indicated the visit to the school of the Primary and Secondary Education Minister who assured the teachers and students that the road would come up within a month. Further, it also indicated that the jurisdictional MLA had directed the Tahsildar to create a temporary path by breaking a portion of the compound wall", Justice Shetty said while appreciating the authorities of the state for providing the temporary access.
However, he observed, "I am of the view it is the responsibility and constitutional obligation of the concerned public servants of the state to provide a permanent access road and other facilities to the school, so as to relieve the hardship being faced by the students and teachers."
Further hearing will be held on March 29.