RAZED TO THE GROUND: Demolished portion of the cellar of Nalanda Vidyaniketan in Vijayawada on Tuesday. PHOTO: RAJU V.

VIJAYAWADA: Tension prevailed at Nalanda Vidyaniketan on Mahatma Gandhi Road on Tuesday morning when the staff of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) demolished a construction in the cellar of the school building.

Parents of some students of the school, who came there to drop their wards, entered into an argument with the VMC staff stating that the demolition works would create panic among children. Efforts of the police to prevent the parents from entering into a brawl with the corporation staff proved futile. The police arrested P.V.M.V.R. Seshakumar and S. Siva Gopi on the charge of preventing Government officials from discharging their duties.

The VMC staff came to the school with an earthmover and began demolishing the parents' lounge and office room of the school around 8 a.m.

Norms' violation

The municipal authorities stated that they had issued notices two weeks in advance to the owners of all buildings who had "violated the norms of the Building Regularisation Act" and constructed additional floors or rooms.

"We have issued notice to the owners of Salute Towers, which is housing the school, a fortnight ago. The building is in the name of a private party in our records," said Ranganayakulu, Assistant City Planner of the VMC.

The school management, however, said that they had not received any such notice from the corporation so far. "Though the VMC staff have to paste a copy of the notice to the school compound wall, they did not do so. Instead, they informed the building watchman at 7 a.m. about the demolition," said P. Srinivasulu, chief coordinator of Nalanda Educational Institutions.

He said that the building was housing the primary section of the school, in which classes were being run for over 1,500 students.

He wondered how the VMC found the building was constructed against the Building Regularisation Act overnight, as they had been collecting municipal tax for the last eight years. An extent of three acres of land adjacent to the school had been allotted for parking, he observed. Secretary and correspondent of the school A. Vijayababu, in a press release, said that it was unfair on the part of the VMC to destroy computers and other valuable equipment in the office in the name of demolition drive.

He appealed to the Government to take action against the civic body.

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