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Navodaya proposal makes no headway

BERHAMPUR: Lack of strong measures by administration to evacuate illegal occupants from government quarters is delaying the establishment of the proposed Navodaya Vidyalaya in Malkangiri district.

It may be noted that the Central government had proposed to establish second Navodaya Vidyalaya in Malkangiri. It was to function at Balimela in Malkangiri from 2009. As per the proposal this school was to start functioning in some temporary arrangement till its own buildings got constructed. But the irony is that despite green signal from the Navodaya Vidyalaya authorities, the school could not start functioning from current academic session as some government quarters at Balimela could not be vacated from illegal occupants.

The principal of the Navodaya Vidyalaya at the district headquarters town of Malkangiri, K.S. Dattatreya, who is looking after the process of establishment of the second Navodaya Vidyalaya says he held talks with the Chitrakonda tehsildar regarding the selection of land for the establishment of the school. According to him the land is almost decided.

Thirty acres of land has already been earmarked at Balimela along with sanction of Rs. 10 crores for the project.

But construction of the buildings at the new site would surely take time. According to him the Navodaya authorities do not want to lose time. They want to start the school at temporary building till the new building comes up.

The regional office of the Navodaya Vidyalaya authorities in Bhopal recently made a query about the progress of the proposed Navodaya Vidyalaya and whether it could be started from 2010 or not. The principal says the school cannot be started unless the illegally occupied quarters could be vacated. He is expected to meet the district Collector regarding the matter.

It was planned to start the proposed Balimela Navodaya Vidyalaya in the unused quarters of the Balimela Hydro Electricity Project (BHEP) till the new campus of the school was constructed. The project officials were asked to hand over 20 unused quarters on temporary basis for the purpose. It was found that 75 vacant quarters in the area were under unauthorised encroachers. As the quarters could not be vacated from unauthorized occupants, the Navodaya Vidyalaya could not function academic session that started from 2009.

In July some miscreants had also made threatening calls in the name of naxals to the authorities to refrain from removing illegal occupants from the quarters. But till date no action has been taken against the persons who were behind the mischief.

The Committee of Conscious Citizens of Malkangiri (CCCM) had met the State energy secretary to expedite the handing over of quarters of the Balimela project for the Navodaya Vidyalaya. He had also promised immediate evacuation of illegal occupants from the quarters for the use of Navodaya Vidyalaya.

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