Chennai: Tension prevailed at a Government Adi Dravida school in Kancheepuram district on Friday after parents forced students to sit outside the school and staged a road roko demanding better facilities as promised to the school. Police had to pacify the agitating parents. Police sources said that the incident happened in Melottivakkam village, 10 km from Kancheepuram. The Adi Dravida middle school had been there for over seven decades and was upgraded to higher secondary two years ago. Around 300 students study in the school, of which 150 are girls.
According to district administration officials, the state government had allotted Rs 38 lakh to build two additional classrooms and a laboratory in the school. However, the authorities, instead of building these rooms on a vacant land had broken down a toilet and part of the compound wall to begin construction, which had irked the locals. The foundation laying ceremony was held on Thursday to which the locals had expressed displeasure. The villagers claimed that the government’s two-acre land near the school has been encroached and asked the authorities to remove the encroachments and build the new classrooms. Since talks failed on Thursday, on Friday morning, Villagers gathered outside the school around 7.30 am and locked the gates. They made the students sit outside and staged a road roko following which officials from the district administration reached the scene.
The officials explained to the villagers that the land is a panchami land and offered a peace committee meeting on Monday. Speaking to DC, Chief Educational Officer (CEO), Kancheepuram said that the villagers had no issues with educational facilities provided and the issue about the building would be taken up with the concerned authorities. According to a senior revenue official, “The government had allotted Rs 38 lakh for construction of buildings which had to be used before March 2018. So, we had to begin work now. The occupants of the land which the villagers allege have encroached show patta for the land.” After pacifying by the officials, the villagers dispersed and classes began as usual.
