Students start hunger strike to save school

Dozens of students, parents and teachers of the Adarsh Senior Secondary School in T Nagar went on a relay hunger...

Dozens of students, parents and teachers of the Adarsh Senior Secondary School in T Nagar went on a relay hunger strike on Thursday to save their institution.

The school management is caught in a legal wrangle with veteran actor Manorama, who owns the land. They received a deadline to vacate the premises after losing a legal battle over a tenancy dispute. “The tenancy dispute has been on for the past 20 years,” said Principal Venkatachala Pandian.

“When the landowner got a favourable ruling from the court in April 2006, the management was confronted with an eviction order. They gave a compromise memo stating they would vacate in two years ending March 2008,” he explained. “The management is ready to buy the land for Rs 12 crore but the landowner is not forthcoming. We want the Government to intervene,” Pandian said. PTA president Arulalan said, “Legal steps should be taken to continue the education of children in the school.”

On Thursday, five parents started a hunger strike inside the school along with three students. “The hunger strikes will continue till mid-January in three phases. The first phase will be until Karthigai Deepam, when lamps will be lit in the school as a symbolic gesture. The second phase will be until New Year, while the third will be until Pongal. We hope the issue will be settled soon.”