Mysore/Mysuru: With the full-fledged Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK) in limbo, Kannada and Culture Minister C.T. Ravi this morning visited the site for the Centre at the old Tahsildar Office premises opposite Premier Studio on Hunsur Road from where Adult Education Office and District Skill Development Centres are still functioning.

Following directions from the State Government, the University of Mysore (UoM), to which the land belongs to, has volunteered to give this 3.5-acre plot along with the buildings on it, on a 30-year lease to the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) for setting up the full-fledged CESCK.

Upon his arrival, Ravi inspected the premises and the buildings, which he found to be in poor shape. He directed CIIL Director Dr. D.G. Rao to prepare an estimate for repairs of the buildings and also to prepare a DPR (Detailed Project Report) on the initial infrastructure needed for the establishment of CESCK, which will function under CIIL. Ravi also asked the district officials to communicate with the Deputy Commissioner on expediting the project, which has been lying in limbo for years and to take necessary measures for relocating the offices housed in the premises, in order to facilitate the CIIL to establish the Centre.

The Minister went around the entire premises and received inputs from the officials on the infrastructure readily available. Thereafter, the Minister instructed the officials to prepare a DPR for the construction of a new building for CESCK, which would be forwarded to the Union Government for releasing funds.

Later speaking to press persons, Ravi said, ‘now that the confusion over the establishment of the Centre has ended (There was a proposal to shift the Centre to Bengaluru), measures will be taken to expedite the project, with the UoM providing the required land.’ Ravi also noted that writer Prof. N.S. Taranath had submitted a report advocating the need for retaining the Centre in Mysuru.

Pointing out that a team of officials had recently visited Tamil Nadu to learn about the functioning of the Tamil Classical Language Studies Centre there, Ravi regretted that a full-fledged CESCK is yet to come up even after 12 years of Kannada getting the ‘classical language’ status in 2008.  Noting that the Centre has been releasing Rs. 1 crore annually for the functioning of the Centre, Ravi regretted that the funds were not being utilised for want of the establishment of CESCK, which is very much disappointing. He has asked the officials to expedite the project in order to ensure full use of Kannada’s rich heritage and added that the CESCK Governing Council will be constituted soon.

CIIL Faculty Prof. K. Durganath and Sannapapaiah, UoM Vice-Chancellor Prof. G. Hemantha Kumar, Kannada Development Authority Chairman T.S. Nagabharana, Kannada and Culture Department Assistant Director H. Chennappa and other officials accompanied the Minister during inspection.