Mysuru: NTM School building demolished amid protest; to make way for Vivekananda Memorial

The demolition of Maharani's New Type Model (NTM) Primary School underway on Narayana Shastri (NS) Road, in Mysuru, on Monday night. DH Photo

NTM School building demolished amid protest; to make way for Viveka Memorial

The building of Maharani's New Type Model (NTM) Primary School on Narayana Shastri (NS) Road in Mysuru city was demolished by the district administration on Monday night amid protests to make way for the construction of the Vivekananda Memorial.

It may be recalled that the Maharani's NTM School was shifted on February 3 to Government Maharani Teachers Training Institute, located on the other side of the road, in the wake of court orders to facilitate the establishment of the Vivekananda Memorial under the supervision of Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama (SRA).

The memorial is planned on the land of Niranjana Ashrama at the junction of Krishna Vilas Road and NS Road and the adjoining land of NTM School as Swami Vivekananda stayed at the Ashrama during his visit to Mysuru in 1892.

Members of NTM School Ulisi Horata Samiti Okkutta staged a protest and tried to stop excavators and other heavy machinery. But police personnel took them into custody and released them later.

The access roads to the school on NS Road was blocked with barricades before the demolition was taken up on Monday night. Over 200 police personnel were deployed on the school premises and around as protests were anticipated. The protesters laid down in front of the earth movers blocking their way. The police showed them a copy of the order issued by the Government to demolish the building. As the protesters were adamant, they were taken into custody.

Deputy Director for Public Instruction Ramachandra Raje Urs said that the Karnataka High Court and the State government have ordered the shifting of the school. It has been shifted to Government Maharani Teachers Training Institute building and it will still be called Maharani's NTM School.

According to SRA authorities, the memorial is a government-approved project, proposed in 2010 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. “The National Committee for commemoration, chaired by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the project and entrusted the work to the ashrama. The Union, as well as the State government, have sanctioned funds for the memorial. It will be a Vivekananda Cultural Youth Centre which will benefit thousands of youth. The memorial will have a meditation centre, yoga training centre, vocational training centre, spoken English course, coaching centre for competitive examination aspirants and a library,” they said.

A section of people, including the members of the Samiti, have been opposing the Vivekananda Memorial, claiming that the NTM school building is a heritage building, started by the then Maharani as a special consideration for the education of girl children.

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