Date:24/08/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/08/24/stories/2003082404570300.htm

Southern States - Karnataka

Reservation sought for minorities

By Our Staff Correspondent

MADIKERI AUG. 23. The Chairman of the State Minorities Commission, Mir Azeez Ahmad, has urged the Government to provide five per cent reservation for minorities.

Speaking to presspersons after reviewing the welfare programmes for the minorities, he said the State Government should also provide reservation to backward classes.

Providing reservation in educational institutions would help the students from the minority and backward communities, he said.

He said the commission had urged the State Government to constitute a cell in the commission to liaise with the district administration to prevent communal clashes.

The State had a good record in maintaining communal harmony, he said.

Federation

Mr. Ahmad said the State Minorities Commission would organise a meeting of the office-bearers of the cooperative societies run by the minorities, in Bangalore next month to discuss the formation of a minorities' cooperative federation.

Hostels

Mr. Ahmad said steps should be taken to improve the hostels for students from minority communities.

He hoped that the zilla panchayat would set right the anomalies.

K.K. Ahmad, president of the Kodagu unit of the Wakf Board, said the resurvey of the wakf properties in the district was in full swing.

The secretary of the State Minorities Commission, S.N.H. Razvi, Mir Obeidullah and R. Abdul Hameed, officials, the Deputy Commissioner, Srikant Valagad, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kodagu Zilla Panchayat, P.L. Budihal, the Superintendent of Police, Devajyoti Ray, and the Chairman of the zilla panchayat Standing Committee on Social Justice, Moideen Kunji, were present.