Move to ‘privatise’ Bal Bhavan opposed

Move to ‘privatise’ Bal Bhavan opposed

Special Correspondent

Governor urged to rescind memorandum of understanding with private parties

Judicial inquiry sought into privatisation move and action against those responsible

Bangalore: The former Minister B.T. Lalitha Naik and Karnataka Rakshana Vedike president T.A. Narayana Gowda have opposed what they described as a move to privatise the Bal Bhavan here and said the proposal was against the interests of poor children.
‘Rescind MoU’

Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, Ms. Naik sought the intervention of Governor Rameshwar Thakur to rescind the memorandum of understanding signed with private parties for upgrading of the Bal Bhavan, which is located inside Cubbon Park.
Demand for probe

She demanded a judicial inquiry into the privatisation move and urged the Governor to take action against all those who were involved.

Referring to the tender notification issued by the Department of Women and Child Development for installation and maintenance of the toy train and other facilities, she said there was no dearth of government funds to improve facilities at the Bal Bhavan.

Privatisation and an entry fee would deprive poor children of an opportunity to visit the Bal Bhavan as profit would be the main motive. The Government should take steps to protect the rights of the public, especially children of socially and financially backward classes, she said.
‘Rules violated’

In the absence of a full-fledged committee, the Bal Bhavan Society had violated rules and decided to privatise the entire infrastructure and recreational facilities, Mr. Gowda and Ms. Naik said.