Hubballi: The state government had allocated Rs 2 crore to set up M M Kalburgi Research Centre at Karnatak University Dharwad ( KUD ) in the 2016-17 budget. Even after two year after the announcement, no progress is seen over the proposal. With the change in government, scholars, activists and Kalburgi’s followers fear that the centre might not become a reality and it will be a forgotten thing of the past.Writer and activist Shankar Halagatti told TOI that there was no update on the proposed centre.“Neither the government nor KUD have shared any updates on the proposal. We suspect some vested interests are behind this intentional negligence. If it goes unattended, the dream of having a research centre named after Kalburgi will be forgotten by one and all. It will be a great setback for the research sector of the state and nation as well,” he said.Veteran linguist and Padmashri awardee Prof Ganesh N Devy, who led a movement against fascist forces after prof Kalburgi’s assassination in Dharwad, said he had heard about the proposed centre on August 30, 2016 from then higher education minister Basavaraj Rayaraddi at Srujana Ranga Mandir, Dharwad. “The minister had assured of setting up the centre at the earliest. And that is the last update that I heard from the government. It’s very bad that the research centre has not been set up yet,” he said.‘Both KUD, govt not acting’Basavaraj Sulibhavi, convenor, Kalburgi, Pansare, Dabholkar Hatya Virodhi Vedike, Dharwad, alleged that KUD has not taken any interest in the research centre.“It was the duty of KUD to implement the announcement made in the budget. When KUD was silent about it, the government should have insisted KUD to go ahead with the work. But it did not happen. At the other end, activists fighting for justice for Kalburgi, were also kept out of the whole proceedings. As a result, none is aware about the status of the centre,” he alleged.Shashidhar Todkar, the principal of Hiremallur Ishwaran PU College Dharwad, and a student of Kalburgi, said that a delegation of writers and activists had personally met then chief minister Siddaramaiah and then higher education minister Rayaraddi in Dharwad and Bengaluru.“As we had a fear of the research centre becoming another inactive study bench in the varsity, we had sought a national memorial trust or a research centre on the lines of Manjeshwar Govind Pai Research Centre under the control of the deputy commissioner. But nothing has happened,” he said.J M Nagayya, director, Shree Basaveshwar Peetha, KUD, who was designated as coordinator for the proposed research centre, said KUD has made all preparations to set up the centre. “Despite our many letters, we have not received any funds or a response from the government. Probably the government stopped it when some writers approached it during the assembly session in Belagavi and demanded an independent trust,” he said.

Stay updated with all the Latest Hubli headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.