Public school to come up in playground in RR Nagar

Adding to the problem of shrinking open spaces in the city, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has proposed to construct a public school in a playground at BEML Layout of RR Nagar.

The school building is expected to take away at least 35 per cent of the 1.5-acre open space that has been attracting sports enthusiasts from across city. The plan has drawn mixed reactions from people staying near the playground.

The BBMP’s proposal – estimated to cost Rs 3.35 crore – comprises construction of seven classrooms, a dining hall, library, staff room, waiting lounge and toilets among others. The work has been awarded to Damodar K, a city-based contractor. The BBMP’s education department is likely to run the school.

Officials said that only ground and first floor will be constructed in the first phase. “Depending on the availability of funds, we will build additional floors. Around 65 per cent of the playground will remain untouched. The residents can continue to use the open space for sports activities,” Vijay Kumar, chief engineer of BBMP RR Nagar zone, said.

Last Sunday, RR Nagar MLA Munirathna N, who is also horticulture minister, laid the foundation stone for the project that will come up on the playground which was named after Nadaprabhu Kempegowda in 2006.

Opposition aplenty

On the day when the foundation stone was laid for building the school, some residents met the legislator to voice their protest. They requested the minister to retain the playground in its current form, stating that this is among the few playgrounds in the neighborhood. Residents also requested the MLA to shift the school plan elsewhere – one suggestion being the Crazy Park in RR Nagar, which is a civic amenities (CA) site.

The legislator, however, tried to convince the residents about the need to build a public school as people belonging to middle class were not in a position to pay fees charged by private educational institutions.

“After the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic, I have been flooded with requests seeking help to pay school fees. Many families are unable to afford private schooling,” Munirathna reportedly told the residents.

The MLA also cited the increase in admission to a government school in his constituency from 450 to 2,000.

Residents acknowledge that fees of private schools were becoming unaffordable and suggested building a school in an open space which was not a playground.

“After Covid, the obesity among children has also gone up. This is the only playground we have for the people. Leave it as it is,” the residents said.

Some residents also said that a playground cannot be used for building school as it was a violation of BDA rules.

V Ramaprasath Manohar, Special Commissioner of BBMP’s education department and zonal commissioner of RR Nagar zone, said he was yet to get a full picture of the BBMP’s proposal. “I will comment after going through the report,” he told DH.