Udupi, (The Hindu): Dinakar Babu, president of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat (ZP), on Wednesday took officials to task for not giving any information about either shifting or merging the Mahatma Gandhi Model Lower Primary School popularly known as Main School located in the heart of the city.

He was chairing the monthly Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) meeting, here.

Mr. Babu said that though the Department of Public Instruction came under the Zilla Panchayat, the shifting and merging of the school with another government school (North School) in the city was done without informing the panchayat. The zilla panchayat came to know of the matter only through the media.

It was decided at the meeting to repair the Main School (the collapse of a wall of the school had led to its shifting). It was also decided to let the Main School to continue as an independent entity as before.

Mr. Babu sought to know whether the teachers of the Main School had been shifted. He said that students of the Main School had desired their school (Main School) to be continued as per reports in a section of the media. He also directed the department head to send the concerned file to him. The officers said that they would look into the matter and inform him.

Mr. Babu also asked the Department of Public Instruction to submit a report to him on schools which were in a poor condition in the district. He expressed dissatisfaction on the lack of progress in the construction of an anganwadi in Baikady.

Since some officers from the Deputy Commissioner’s Office did not attend the meeting, Mr. Babu directed that notices should be issued to them seeking the reason for their absence.

Mr. Babu said that he had sought the details of the assets of the Zilla Panchayat about a month ago. But the officers had not responded to it. Shivananda Kapashi, CEO of the Zilla Panchayat, said that he would collect details.

Rohini, District Health and Family Welfare Officer, told the meeting that incidence of malaria and dengue was decreasing in the district especially when compared to last year.

Various issues, including the Souparnika River Lift Irrigation Project, revision of taxes in gram panchayats, non-maintenance of timings of KSRTC buses, also came up for discussion.

Sheela K. Shetty, vice-president of the zilla panchayat, Nagesh Raikar, Deputy Secretary, and others were present.