Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner G. Srijana said on Wednesday that the civic body is searching for an alternative place to house the Hidden Sprouts Special Needs School.
The school found itself in the news after it was made to vacate its premises by the GVMC in June this year. The civic body also demolished several portions of the school building citing that the management had illegally occupied public space.
The closure of the school, however, came as a rude shock to the parents of dozens of mentally challenged children who were enrolled at the institution. Parents and children, along with the staff of the special needs school, staged protests in MVP Colony demanding that the school be either allowed to resume functioning from the same premises or be given alternative accommodation at the earliest.
Ms. Srijana said that the civic body initially tried to accommodate the school at a community hall in MVP Colony, but had to drop the proposal after resistance from locals. Later, it was planned to utilise the GVMC School at Peda Waltair, but the school committee and parents of the students enrolled there objected to it.
“The GVMC is searching for accommodation. In the meantime, the management of the special needs school can also try to look for an alternative location,” Ms. Srijana said.