In a peculiar and unresolved situation in Gandhinagar, Royalpadu Hobli, of Srinivaspur taluk in Kolar, a family has been living on the premises of a closed government school for the past five years. Despite multiple complaints from villagers and efforts to have the family vacate the property, the family continues to reside in the abandoned school, citing approval from the Block Education Officer (BEO) as justification for their stay.
The Government School at Gandhinagar, which has been closed for half a decade, has become an unlikely residence for one Kumara and his family. While the school building has been vacant, Kumara and his family moved in several years ago and have refused to vacate despite local opposition.
The villagers, who have grown increasingly frustrated with the situation, claim that Kumara has been showing documents supposedly approved by the Block Education Officer (BEO) to justify his occupation of the property. These documents, however, have not been verified, and the BEO’s office has yet to take any decisive action to remove the family.
According to villagers such as Venkateshamma, Nagamma, Saraswathamma, and others, the situation has worsened over time. They report that Kumara has intimidated them with letters from the BEO’s office, which allegedly allow him and his family to remain in the school building. Despite the school being closed, the family continues to stay there while the local children are forced to travel to schools in nearby villages, Gownipalli and Avaganapalli, due to the inaccessibility of their own school.
“The villagers had raised the issue with the MLA, who then directed the BEO to take action. However, the officer has not visited the location or issued any notice,” the villagers explained. “As a result, Kumara and his family continue to occupy the school. The children of the village are being sent to distant schools, even though there is a school right here in our own village.”
Upon learning about the issue, BEO B.C. Munilakshmiah visited the site to assess the situation. During his visit, the villagers voiced their frustration and demanded that Kumara and his family be evicted immediately. They pointed out the unfairness of the situation, as children from their village were being deprived of their right to attend school in their locality.
“Although there is a government school in our village, children have to be sent to other villages for education. This situation is unacceptable, and we insist that the person residing in the school be removed immediately,” said Venkateshamma, one of the protesting villagers.
The villagers have long sought action from the authorities, calling for the family’s removal from the premises so that the school could be reopened for the children of the village.
After the BEO’s visit, a formal complaint was lodged at the Gownipalli Police Station. In response, police personnel, along with BBMP officials, conducted a joint visit to the school to address the issue. Following this intervention, the authorities instructed Kumara and his family to vacate the premises by Saturday.
In a statement, B.C. Munilakshmiah, the BEO for Srinivaspur, confirmed that the family was ordered to leave. “With the help of the police, I have directed Kumara and his family to vacate the premises immediately. The school will start functioning on Monday, and I have appealed to parents to send their children to the school,” Munilakshmiah stated.
The school is expected to reopen for regular classes on Monday, with authorities urging parents to ensure that their children attend school in their own village rather than continuing to commute to distant locations.
This issue highlights the challenges faced by local authorities when it comes to managing public property and enforcing rules regarding vacant or abandoned buildings. The residents of Gandhinagar, particularly the parents of the village children, have long awaited the reopening of their local school, which has been closed for five years due to Kumara’s illegal occupation.
While the immediate action taken by the BEO and the police will likely resolve the issue temporarily, the villagers remain wary and have expressed concerns about further delays in addressing similar issues in other parts of the taluk.
The situation in Gandhinagar underscores the importance of proper oversight and timely intervention from government officials to ensure that public assets serve their intended purpose, and that local communities can access the resources and services they are entitled to.