JOIN USStudents take steps to save school land in Ajjampura
In what could be termed as a fine example of awakened citizens showing their anger towards the authorities’ inaction, the students and teachers of Shetru Siddhappa PU College constructed a fence around a petty shop in the school premises which was built illegally.
The petty shop was not closed down, even after the deadline. The College Development Committee members and SDMC members of the school in the same premises, had called a meeting in December 2011 and had directed the shop owner to vacate the place within three months.
In a meeting jointly convened by the committees and the gram panchayat, GP President Jogi N Prakash had directed the authorities to take measures to evict several shops and lay fences around them. A few shops which have been functioning from several years, were given the deadline of Monday, to vacate the property.
As the shop owners did not vacate even after the deadline, students came forward to lay fence. Worried shop owners approached the panchayat president requesting to extend the deadline. Succumbing to their request, the GP President spoke to the local MLA over phone and temporarily halted the students attempt to lay fence.
Later, speaking to mediapersons, the GP President said that evicting the shop owners all of a sudden would throw several families into streets. Hence, the deadline has been extended to three months on humanitarian grounds, he said.
When College Principal Basavaraju was contacted and asked about the general allegation that the college authorities had used students to carry out the task, he said students joined hands to construct fence as no labourer came forward to do it. Students and teachers have only attempted to protect the school and college property, he said.