Puttur: Row over razing of 156-year-old school building, DC seeks report
Puttur, Dec 15: The demolition of a 156-year-old heritage school building at Nellikatte in Puttur taluk of Dakshina Kannada district has kicked up a controversy, after which the DK deputy commissioner K V Rajendra has sought a report from the education department.
The heritage structure was built by the British East India Company in 1865 to cater to the schooling needs of the region. Jnanpith awardee Dr K Shivaram Karanth had also used the building to direct plays and the villagers had wanted the building to be restored as a memorial museum after the litterateur.
The building was razed overnight three days back by the school development and monitoring committee (SDMC) which claimed that the building was beyond repair.
According to SDMC president Panchakshari, a part of the dilapidated building collapsed when they tried to carry out some repair work on the building. The building was then razed as it posed threat to students as the school ground is located nearby.
Classes were not being held in the building for long and a proposal to restore the building was pending before the authorities.
Following an uproar from literary enthusiasts and villagers over the demolition, DK district deputy commissioner K V Rajendra has directed the deputy director of public instruction (DDPI) and zilla panchayat chief executive officer to submit a report on the incident.
People claimed that the SDMC did not have the authority to take a decision on demolition. They also did not inform the departments concerned before razing the structure.
The DDPI has now sought a report from the block education officer who has served a notice to SDMC and the school headmaster seeking an explanation on the circumstances that led to the demolition.
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BJP worker dies by self-immolation outside realtor’s house in Kalaburagi
Kalaburagi: A 35-year-old BJP worker died after setting herself on fire outside the house of a realtor in Nandikur village of Kalaburagi taluk on Friday night. According to police the deceased has been identified as Jyothi Patil and a case of abetment of suicide has been registered against the realtor, Mallinath Biradar.
In a report published by Deccan Herald, the local police said Jyothi arrived at Biradar’s house late in the evening and knocked on the door. At the time, his wife and three children were inside the house. When the door was opened, Jyothi asked for Biradar and before the family members could respond or intervene, she allegedly poured petrol on herself and set herself ablaze.
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Locals rushed to the scene, but the fire's intensity made it difficult to identify the victim. Police officers who arrived on the scene later discovered documents inside a two-wheeler parked near the house. These documents assisted officials in determining her identification. Jyothi’s husband was subsequently called to the spot to confirm it.
