156-year school building cries for attention

Puttur: One of the heritage structures of Puttur, the Nellikatte School building, considered to be 156 years old has been abandoned by the Education Department. The building which is built on half acre area in a plot of 2.2 acres near the KSRTC bus stand now resembles a haunted house. Suddenly under cover of night on December 22, 2021, a group of unknown people with powerful political support had brought down the building into a heap of rubble and left.

But the people of Puttur were not in a mood to let go of their heritage school just like that. After a series of petitions the civil society of Puttur has been able to get the attention of the government. The Lokayukta team headed by Cheluvaraj Dy SP has initiated an investigation and soon those who are responsible including the headmaster, president of the SDMC and the BEO may get notices.

The thick pillars, long corridors, spacious classrooms, and strong walls built out of mud and mortar of that age held no fascination for the Education Department. The government high school was functioning in this building for many decades and there are government records dating back to 1934 that late Dr Shivarama Karanth, Jnanapith award winner used to hold his Yakshagana training there in the evenings and also hold talks on art and music.

The building was allowed by the Department to deteriorate and it was not given its due repairs, including painting and maintenance job periodically. The last time it was painted was in 1990 say the officials in the Department. Naturally, the building started degenerating and by the end of 2013, it had become unfit for holding classes. But in 2013-14 the government started the first-grade women's college in the same building which was quickly shifted to the Taluk office in 2015 after the Taluk office had moved to the newly constructed Mini Vidhana Soudha the same year. The nine classes at girl's college are now being held there in makeshift corridors, congested rooms that have no air or natural light.

CEO of Zilla Panchayat who took charge a few weeks back has taken the letters he received from a few concerned citizens of Puttur seriously and has initiated action. He has told the Deputy Director of Public Instruction to give him a detailed report on the present condition of the school after getting opinions from the experts in the Public Works Department.

"Since the school is 156 years old there is no doubt it comes under Indian Heritage buildings nomenclature, the building has to be restored and not rebuilt or renovated. The restoration work has to be carried out by the experts in such work. I have also sensitised the department of Archaeology, heritage buildings and museums located in Mysuru and soon will also send a letter to the Commissioner of the department recommending the restoration of the Nellikatte School. In addition, I have asked my officials to list all schools that are a century old and are nearing a century" he informed.