Mangaluru: The recent decision of the MCC to rename the St Aloysius College Road after Mulky Sunder Ram Shetty has not gone well with the St Aloysius Institutions management, which has called the move ‘undemocratic’.
Speaking to the media on the subject, newly appointed Rector Fr Melwin Pinto expressed his anguish and unhappiness about the overnight developments where they were kept in the darkness even though they were a party in the said matter.
During the media briefing, Fr Melwin explained the series of events in the matter.
“We were shocked to receive the news about the renaming of the disputed road as Mulky Sunder Ram Shetty Road. This draconian decision has hurt the sentiments of thousands of passionate admirers of the St Aloysius College Educational Institutions. It has been proved beyond doubt that the road was named ‘St Aloysius College Road’ in 1976 by the Mangalore Municipality under the presidentship of late Blasius D’Souza.
The Management of the College was successful in bringing a stay on the state government’s order to rename the road as Mulki Sundararama Shetty Road. In response, the Vijaya Bank Employees’ Association filed a writ appeal against the stay order, which was turned down by the High Court of Karnataka.
In its judgement delivered on April 11, 2019, the High Court had directed the civic authorities to call both parties concerned and reach an amicable settlement. The St Aloysius College management, in its memorandum submitted on February 19, 2020, had also made a plea to involve the College in all future deliberations on the issue.” he informed.
“It is indeed undemocratic and unjust to take a unilateral decision to revoke the order which was contested by us, without taking us into confidence which amounts to non-compliance of the directives contained in the order of the High Court,” said the Rector.
St Aloysius College is a 140-year-old institution which has formed thousands of men and women of great eminence. T M A Pai, George Fernandes, current Attorney General of India, K Venugopal, Vinaya Hegde, Justice Santhosh Hegde, K V Kamath and many other prominent alumni have excelled in their fields and have grown to international repute. “The institution, which forms these eminent personalities and serves the cause of education, cannot be overlooked for one individual. Moreover, the Vijaya Bank Workers’ Organization, which has been pursuing the renaming process, may not enjoy any locus standi as the bank has already been merged with Bank of Baroda,” he added.
“We would also like to bring to your kind notice that we were always willing for negotiations and dialogue. We feel that this is a malicious design of the strong and the influential, who claim to believe in the equality of rights and opportunities. This clandestine and undemocratic decision and the overnight preparation for the inauguration of the road have deeply pained us.
It is very sad to see that during times of great uncertainties and anxieties regarding the pandemic, a sudden and silent decision circumventing the legal procedures shows that there are unseen hands that want create disharmony in society. The pandemic was an great opportunity for reconciliation and a time to demonstrate solidarity among the people. This unexpected ruling proves that the pandemic has been utilized to settle the dispute unceremoniously. In addition, it also is a scheme to divert the public’s attention from the real issues and concerns posed by the pandemic,” he said
“If you look around, we observe a clear pattern in the scheme of things that are happening in the city of Mangaluru, which is known for peace and harmony. Hence, we strongly feel that the truth regarding the issue has to be brought to light. This may be the harbinger of several such undemocratic and unilateral decisions in the future. We request the government and civic authorities to take a serious note of this incident that has disturbed us and questioned the fundamental understanding of justice and democratic values and reconsider the decision and ensure that due justice is meted out to our cause,” the Rector added.
Dr Denis Fernandes, Director Arrupe Block and Acting Principal; Dr Alwyn DSa, Controller of Examinations; Santhosh Kumar Kadri, President SACAA; N G Mohan, Alumni, St Aloysius College; Gavin Abner Pinto, Student Council President, SAC were present.
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