K'taka Minority Commission report by Nov 18

Udupi, Nov 9: Karnataka State Minority Commission Chairman K M S Masood today said he would submit by November 18 the Commission's final report, which would include the recent communal violence in Mangalore and its outskirts and progress of the implementation of various welfare schemes meant for minorities.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that in view of the growing incidents of communal disturbances in recent times, mainly in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district, the Commission would strongly recommend both the Union and State Governments to declare the three coastal districts - Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada - as ''communally disturbed areas''. The Commission would also recommend the creation of special rapid action force, not attached to police stations, in these districts to immediately contain any such incident.

Mr Masood urged that there was a need to revamp the anti-rowdy squads unless these squads, now attached to police stations, were reconstituted and made independent bodies under the district Superintendent of Police. Besides, the Commission would urge the Centre and the State to reserve 15 per cent of jobs in police and other deparments for Muslims as their representation was low.

Lauding the JD(S)-BJP coalition Government for enhancing the bugetary allocation for development of minorities from a meagre Rs 44 crore to Rs 110 crore, he said funds for the Karnataka Minority Development Corporation had been raised to Rs 48 crore from Rs 12 crore, besides grant for setting up community halls from Rs five lakh to Rs 20 lakh at taluk level and Rs 50 lakh at district level.

UNI

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