Education Minister T. Thiagarajan, along with a host of senior government officials, was blocked at the entrance of the Pensionnat De Jeunes Filles School (Government Girls French High School) during an inspection of the school on Tuesday.
Mr. Thiagarajan, Education Secretary G. Ragesh Chandra and a few other officials had visited three schools that have been functioning in heritage buildings to ascertain their structural stability in the aftermath of the collapse of the Mairie (Town Hall) building on Saturday.
When the team entered the premises of the Pensionnat De Jeunes Filles School they faced stiff opposition from the parents within minutes of their arrival at the school.
A section of parents registered their strong protest against the move of the Puducherry government to shift the classes to neighbouring schools as the school was in a precarious condition.
The parents raised a volley of questions about the government’s decision to declare holiday for the school. They claimed that for the last 14 years representations had been frequently made to authorities concerned to look at the unsafe condition of the building.
The parents also started asking Education Secretary G. Ragesh Chandra to give a written assurance that the French school run by the government would be accommodated in the same premises after renovation and that it would not be used for any other purpose. But Mr. Chandra said that such decisions cannot be taken by him as it was up to the government.
As the Minister and other officials prepared to leave the parents closed the main gates prompting a near tense situation.
Heated exchanges erupted between the two sides and there was also an attempt by the officials to call the police.
At one stage Mr. Thiagarajan forcibly opened the gates and walked out of the premises followed by the officials.
Earlier Mr. Thiagarajan inspected the Calve College and V.O.C Boys Higher Secondary School to ascertain their soundness and other parameters.
Speaking to reporters, he said that the three schools were functioning in dilapidated buildings. The government has asked experts and structural engineers from IIT- Madras and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to inspect the buildings and give their opinion.
Based on their report the government will take a decision for restoration or demolition of the structures and construction of new buildings in their place. Classes functioning in the buildings will be shifted to neighbouring schools, he said.
