SIR officers recall notice, go to Padma Shri awardee Harekala’s house, fix gaps

MANGALURU: Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba received a notice from the Election Commission Monday directing him to appear before the assistant electoral registration officer (AERO) Friday. However, after officials realised the error, the tahsildar and village assistant visited the 70-year-old man’s house, made the necessary corrections and spared him a trip to the AERO’s office.Ashwini, village assistant of Harekala gram panchayat, who visited Hajabba’s house, said the notice was generated because his name had earlier been registered as ‘Hajabba’ and was later changed to ‘Harekala Hajabba’.“This spelling mismatch led to the voter being placed in the logical discrepancy category. Booth-level officers had clear instructions to resolve discrepancies involving VIPs immediately, without issuing notices. However, due to an oversight, a notice was served on the Padma Shri awardee,” Ashwini said, expressing regret.The discrepancy led to a notice being issued to Hajabba, a voter from Ramakrishna High School, New Padpu, in Harekala village, which falls under the Mangaluru constituency represented by health minister UT Khader.Hajabba told TOI that the booth-level officer had asked him to appear with the necessary documents to rectify the error in the voter list.“As per the notice, I was supposed to appear before the AERO on Friday. However, officials visited my house and collected the documents,” he said.The notice was withdrawn within hours and officials rectified the error after collecting the necessary documents. Ashwini said the discrepancy had been resolved at the official level.Hajabba, who sold oranges and was deeply pained by his lack of access to education, took up the challenge of building a school in Harekala in 1995. He worked to secure land and obtain approval from the education department.His dream became a reality in 1999 when the Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat sanctioned the school. The Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Lower Primary School, popularly known as ‘Hajabba avara Shale’, initially functioned out of a madrassa. Later, Hajabba built classrooms on 40 cents of land sanctioned by the district administration. The school was subsequently upgraded into a pre-university college. He was honoured with Padma Shri in 2020.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bengaluru | Silver Rate in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru | Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Petrol Price in Bengaluru | Diesel Price in Bengaluru | CNG Price in Bengaluru | LPG Price in BengaluruStay updated with the latest Bengaluru news. Download the TOI App.