Demolition of Thiruvail govt school's old building opposed

Time of India

3 days ago

Mangaluru: Parents, the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) and residents of a govt school in Thiruvail, Vamanjoor, have opposed the planned demolition of the school's old building, near an expanding highway.
While the zilla panchayat cites safety risks, locals propose a retaining wall instead to save the school, which celebrated its centenary this year.
The school is adjacent to the Mangaluru-Solapur National Highway-169 and was built in the 1960s. The old building has 10 classrooms, an auditorium, a smart class, and washrooms for boys and girls. The school has about 400 students who study in a newly constructed building, and the building to be demolished was abandoned after the new building was built.
The school, which was on the verge of closure seven years ago with just 60 students, sprang back to life after several initiatives, and now provides education on par with private schools.
Raghu Salian, a local contractor and alumnus, said that there is no immediate need to demolish the old building of the school; instead, constructing a retaining wall behind it would help it survive for a few more decades. The school building has served as a relief centre for flood victims, and hosted other activities.
Salian mentioned that in the official correspondence of the panchayat, it has asked the school SDMC to demolish the old building. It has earmarked Rs 35,000 for the same, which has to be repaid after selling all the scrap from the building. "We are opposing this too. How can officials ask us to demolish and pay them? They should do it on their own and not us," he said.
Salian further added that even if the officials still want to go ahead and execute the plan, they can do so, but alumni, locals, and parents have put some conditions before demolition.
They are: SDMC will not do the demolition; the day after the demolition, a retaining wall has to be built across the school compound abutting the national highway; they should also build a washroom in advance, before the demolition and construction of new classrooms.
"Constructing a retaining wall itself will cost around Rs 1 crore," said Salian.
In fact, the demolition of the school was in the ongoing national highway project.
Salian said after the request, NHAI officials were kind not to carry out any demolition, changed their plan, and also built a retaining wall.
When contacted, ZP CEO Anandh K said that the old building was supposed to be demolished as per the NHAI plan, but was saved. However, they received full compensation for the same. Secondly, the decision to demolish the old building was taken after consultation with officials as the area around it is prone to mudslides. "The decision is taken keeping the safety of children and commuters," he stressed.