Mysore/Mysuru: Co- operation and District in-Charge Minister S.T. Somashekar has said senior officers including Deputy Commissioner (DC) must visit villages to understand the prevailing problems.

When reporters brought to his notice about Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha’s statement that the DC, DHO and other officers must also visit villages as holding video-conference will not help, he said what Simha has said was 100 percent right. Be it DC or any other officer, they will understand local problems only if they visit all places and interact with Legislators, he added.

Step-down Centre

Somashekar said there was a plan to start Step-Down Centre to have a watch on those who have come out after the COVID treatment. The Suttur Seer, Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji, has permitted to use the Mutt hostels and community halls for this purpose. The COVID recovered patients require attention for a few days. Since there will be children at home it was better to house them in Step-Down Hospitals for some days.

He thanked the Suttur Seer for his initiative to provide free accommodation and free education to those kids whose parents died of Corona so that they were not denied education.

The Seer has given permission to make use of schools and hostels of the Suttur Mutt in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Kollegal, and has agreed to feed everyone free of cost. This will benefit around 6,000 people, the Minister said.

He said the Seer has donated six loads of firewood to conduct cremation of those who died due to Corona. It was happy to note that the Suttur Mutt was responding to every request of the State Government, he added.

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, MLA L. Nagendra, MUDA Chairman H.V. Rajeev, Jungle Lodges and Resorts Chairman M. Appanna, Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) Chairman L.R. Mahadevaswamy, MCC Commissioner Shilpa Nag, MUDA Commissioner Dr. D.B. Natesh and others were present.