Speaker rues govt's inability to extend facility to K'taka students

Mumbai, Apr 5 (UNI) Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Babasaheb Kupekar today regretted the state government's inability to further extend the facility to Marathi-speaking students from border towns in Karnataka who were allowed to apply for teaching jobs in Maharashtra.

''If we cannot give justice to these students, then what is the use of passing a resolution on Samyukta Maharashtra to incorporate border towns of Belgaum, Nippani, and Karwar'' he asked.

The Speaker's comments came after School Education Minister Vasant Purke, while replying to a calling attention notice, told the House it would not be possible to extend by another year the facility given to eligible students from Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka to apply for the posts of teachers and ''shikshak sevaks'' in Maharashtra.

Raising the issue, legislators Raju Shetty and Wamanrao Chatap drew the Minister's attention to the facility provided by the state government since May 31, 1993 under which candidates from the border areas of Karnataka having the requisite qualification, were allowed to apply for jobs here. The facility expired in November last year, they said and demanded that it should be extended.

When the Minister expressed his inability to do so since there was trained manpower in Maharashtra itself, the Speaker expressed his dissatisfaction.

Mr Purke said Marathi-speaking candidates from the neighbouring state were allowed to complete their D.Ed course at Udgir in Latur district. The reply did not satisfy the Opposition members who raised slogans.

When the state government said it would require time to deliberate on the issue and reach a decision, the Opposition members demanded that the calling attention notice be withheld. The Chair accepted the demand.

UNI