Five Aasare homes, built for the victims of the devastating 2009 floods that washed away thousands of villages along the Tungabhadra and the Krishna in north Karnataka, have now become the premises of a private school.
Bhageeratha Maharshi Welfare Trust is running Sri Manikanta English School in five Aasare houses (no: 223 to 227) that it has taken on “lease” from the allottees at Aasare Colony near Chikkasugur village in Raichur taluk. These are the houses built for the flood victims of Chikkasugur, Wadlur and Heggasanagalli that were almost washed away when one of the tributaries of the Krishna overflowed in 2009. “The government allotted Aasare houses to the flood victims on the condition that they should not sell or rent them out for a certain period. I will get a report soon and see what action can be taken. We may have to cancel the allotment if the terms have been violated,” S. Sasikanth Senthil, Deputy Commissioner, told The Hindu .
Though the nameplates and banners on the school premises claim that the institution has obtained permission from the government of Karnataka, Education Department officials state the contrary.
“The trust had sought permission for running the school from class 1 to 5. However, a three-member committee from the department concluded that it did not even have minimum infrastructure. It said the school had not complied with government regulations and recommended that it should not be permitted,” A. Ramanjaneya, Deputy Director of Public Instruction, said. He advised the public not to fall prey to the institution.
Bheemesh, president of the trust, said permission for running only LKG and UKG was obtained from the Block Education Officer.
“We have not got permission for conducting classes from standard 1 to 5. The boards and banners are misleading and we will change them,” he said. When asked about the legality of taking the Aasare houses on lease, he said the school was being run in the interest of the poor.
Homes in disarray
Seven years after it was launched, the Aasare housing scheme continues to be an issue of debate. While in some places, the work on the houses has remained at the foundation level, in others, the houses continue to be unoccupied by the allotees for various reasons, including inconvenience and absence of basic infrastructure.
