Two Veterinary Colleges face threat of closure in Karnataka

Bangalore, Sep 22 (UNI) Two newly started Veterinary Colleges in Karnataka are facing threat of 'Closure' following notice issued by the Veterinary Council of India (VCI) for the lack of Infrastructure and teaching Staff.

The colleges facing closure threat includes one in Hassan and another in Shimoga, the home district of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.

The VCI team which had inspected these colleges in July last have found grave mis-match between the VCI guidelines and the existing status in terms of Infrastructure and teaching personnel.

Following directives from the VCI both the Colleges have not admitted any students for the current academic year.

While the Hassan College was sanctioned in 2007, the Shimoga Veterinary College had obtained permission in 2006. Both the colleges were permitted intake of 30 students each.

The sources in the Veterinary and Fisheries University, which governs the academic activities in four Veterinary colleges in the state, told UNI that following non-filling of teaching staff fell vacant for long, these two colleges are facing severe staff shortage which led to present scenario.

The sources said that at present has only 240 teaching staff available for over 22 departments in four colleges against the requirement of over 600 posts. The University was not in a position to go for new recruitment following restrictive order of the state government. There is a ban on University to go for new recruitment without filling up the existing backlog vacancies.

The sources also said that the state government had released Rs one crore each to Shimoga and Hassan Colleges to improve infrastructure facilities including buildings, laboratories, which was however very meager to meet the guidelines of the VCI.

Meanwhile the state government has proposed to start two Dairy colleges, one each in Gulbarga and Raichur and a Fisheries college in Karwar.

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