Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada District Deputy Commissioner (DC), Dr. Rajendra K. V., has directed the Deputy Director of Public Instruction and the Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer to submit a report on the overnight demolition of a heritage school building at Nellikatte.
The 156-year-old heritage structure was built in 1865 by the British East India Company to fulfill the region’s educational needs. The school building is also significant since Jnanpith awardee Dr. K. Shivaram Karanth used to direct plays from there, and there were demands for it to be turned into a memorial in his honour.
According to sources, the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) made emergency repairs to the school building when tiles began to fall and a few people were injured.
A pillar of the building collapsed during the repair work, and the SDMC decided to demolish the structure due to the danger it posed to others.
The committee has the authority to make such decisions, and it has not consulted or informed the concerned authorities about the demolition.
Following the DC’s order, the DDPI requested a report from Lokesh, the Block Education Officer (BEO), who then served notice on the SDMC and the headmaster, seeking a report on the circumstances surrounding the demolition.
