Bal Vikas Academy headless since two years

Hubballi: Karnataka Bal Vikas Academy (KBVA), which was set up in Dharwad in 2009 to address the regional imbalance issue, was supposed to celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2019-20. Forget the celebration, it is not even having a chairman for the past two years.
The academy, set up during the first tenure of B S Yediyurappa as the chief minister, does not have a dedicated administrative officer either.The huge building, constructed on 1acre land is lying idle without holding any programmes. Though Yediyurappa is chief minister now, KBVA continues to remain dormant.
Shankar Halagatti, its first chairman, said the academy was the result of two decades of struggle by writers like Sisu Sangamesh who wrote extensively for children. “But for the initial years, it has not seen a full-time project officer. There has been no accounts officer for the past eight years. The government framed bylaws, which have remained on paper. No elected representative or officer has shown interest to revive the academy which was aimed to work for the cause of children of the state,” he added.
Halagatti was the only writer to have been appointed as the chairman for KBVA. His successors have all been from political background: Mahesh Tenginakai (BJP), and Dakshayani Basavaraj and Vedavyas Koulagi (both Congress).
The construction of an auditorium costing Rs 7-8 crore has remained incomplete owing to lack of funds. “It’s disheartening to see the two structures, which were supposed to host activities for children, lying idle,” Halagatti rued.
Halagatti’s immediate successor Tenginakai, now BJP state general secretary, hoped that academy will get a new chairman in a month. “We have requested the government to provide staff, facilities and funds for the academy. Everything will be streamlined once the chairman is appointed,” he added.