It looks that the architectural beauty of the 60-year-old hostel-turned-academic block situated on northern end of the Nanjappa Corporation Boys Higher Secondary School campus is soon to be a part of history.
In a written reply to the recent petition submitted by the Aam Aadmi Party to the Chief Minister seeking steps to revive the block, the Corporation administration had stated that steps were under way to demolish the block which had around 10 classrooms.
The Corporation officials had stated that the block is not fit any more for running classes with poor state of the building and rain entering through the sides as reasons for deciding to demolish the edifice.
The Corporation’s plan to demolish the block is inviting criticisms from different quarters, including from the kin of Nanjappa Chettiar.
DonatedC.M.N. Muruganandan, the grandson of Chikkanna Chettiar, who donated the land and building for the school in the name of his father Nanjappa Chettiar and an alumnus of the school, told The Hindu that the building should have been preserved as a ‘heritage building’.
“I cannot understand why some leaks during rain and shabby state of building have to be cited as reasons for removing any structure that could talk history,” he wondered.
Stating that the party would fight for preserving the building, AAP district convener S. Sundarapandian said that lack of periodic maintenance by Corporation officials alone was responsible for water entering the interiors of the block through the broken windows.
“But its foundation and walls are still strong and it is mysterious why the Corporation wanted to demolish it altogether for trivial reasons instead of carrying out and conserving the structure with repair works,” he added.
