Name Mismatch Leads To SIR Notice For Harekala Hajabba, District Administration Says Issue Resolved
A senior government official visited Hajabba’s house on Monday and verified the documents and took the notice with him assuring that his name would be retained in the final electoral roll.
Mangaluru: A mismatch in his name between the 2002 electoral roll and the present voter list has landed Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba with a notice from the Election Commission as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The name of 71-year-old Hajabba, who lives in Harekala village, about 20 km from Mangaluru, appeared as “Hajabba” in the 2002 electoral roll. As his name is recorded as “Harekala Hajabba” in his later documents, a Booth Level Officer served him a notice citing “self-name mismatch”.
The notice asked Hajabba to appear at the Gram Panchayat office on Friday between 9 am and 11 am with the required documents.
A senior government official visited Hajabba’s house on Monday and verified the documents and took the notice with him assuring that his name would be retained in the final electoral roll.
The Dakshina Kannada district administration also clarified the issue on social media on Tuesday.
“With regards to the issue concerning the correction of the name of Padma Shri awardee Shri Harekala Hajabba, it is clarified that a mismatch in the name of the elector was found. In order to correct his name, officials visited and collected the documents from him. The issue has now been resolved,” a post on X by Dakshina Kannada DC stated.
Hajabba, an orange seller, came to be known for his efforts to bring a government school to his village.
Decades ago he was moved by the difficulties faced by children in his village, many of whom had to walk several kilometres to attend school. Determined to ensure that children could study in the village itself, he spent years approaching government officials, NGOs and elected representatives for a school. His efforts bore fruit in 2001 when a government lower primary school was started in Harekala. It was later upgraded.
Hajabba has also raised over Rs 18 lakh through sponsorships and used prize money and awards he received for the school’s development, despite earning a modest income by selling oranges.
Recognizing his efforts the union government honored him with Padma Shri.
