Mangaluru: A special gram sabha scheduled at Kaliya gram panchayat in Belthangady taluk on Tuesday was cancelled after villagers refused to proceed with the meeting over a delay in its commencement. Meanwhile, villagers allege that a disagreement over the use of Tulu also lead to the cancellation of the meeting.Villagers who gathered at 10.30 am alleged that officials kept them waiting for hours without information. The meeting was scheduled to review works undertaken under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and those funded by the 15th Finance Commission, besides discussing inspection reports and objections to the works.Keshava, former Kaliya gram panchayat president, said villagers had gathered to discuss the works and raise demands under the employment guarantee scheme, but were left waiting without a clear response.“We gathered at 10.30 am, but even by noon, the meeting had not started. We did not know who was supposed to conduct it, and the chairs meant for the officials were empty. We are farmers and have work to do. We cannot spend the entire day waiting,” he said.Keshava said the Tulu issue arose when villagers discussed leaving and returning another day. A nodal officer present at the gram panchayat reportedly told villagers that he could not understand Tulu.Keshava said he responded that Tulu was their mother tongue and that the officer should learn it or bring someone who could understand it. He said people should be able to speak their mother tongue and officials working in the region should make arrangements to understand it.Kunha K, in-charge panchayat development officer (PDO), said Belthangady taluk panchayat executive officer Bhavanishankar and other staff had gone to inspect a road following a complaint to the deputy commissioner.The inspection took around 30 minutes. When officials returned and asked villagers to begin the meeting, they objected to the delay and refused to proceed. Officials then offered to hold it on another date.State yet to issue Tulu guidelines: ZP CEODakshina Kannada zilla panchayat CEO Narwade Vinayak Karbhari said the state govt was yet to issue detailed guidelines on implementing Tulu as the second additional official administrative language. Though the cabinet had approved the move, departments were yet to receive instructions on its implementation.“Once the guidelines are issued, they will clarify the changes to be made. There had been discussions about providing translators in offices, but we cannot confirm the arrangements until the govt issues clear instructions,” he said.The ZP CEO said applications submitted in Tulu would have to be accepted and processed, but arrangements, including the level at which translators would be appointed, were yet to be finalised.
