Kadaba: Animal Husbandry and Sericulture Minister K. Venkatesh said that classes at the Veterinary College in Koila, Kadaba, will begin from the coming academic year.

He visited the college on Tuesday, inspected the buildings and held discussions with officials before speaking to the media. He said this will be the seventh veterinary college in the state. Preliminary preparations have been made to start classes. Efforts are under way to obtain approval from the Veterinary Council of India to commence academic sessions.

Works worth Rs 136 crore have been completed at the college. There will be no difficulty in conducting first- and second-year classes. An additional Rs 23 crore is required to create the remaining facilities. The Minister said that he, along with the Vice-Chancellor, has met the Chief Minister seeking funds and expressed hope that allocation will be made in the Budget.

Out of 25 teaching posts, 13 have been filled. A total of 32 more staff members are required, and the recruitment process is in progress. Responding to a request to provide jobs to local people, the Minister said that officials will be instructed to give preference to locals while appointing outsourced staff.

Meanwhile, villagers raised concerns about poor quality construction. They said rainwater is leaking from the roof slab during the monsoon. Though metal sheets have been placed on top to prevent leakage, the problem continues. Cracks have also appeared on some walls. In response, the Minister said engineers from the Housing Board who handled the construction will be called to rectify the defects.