Procedural glitches delay construction of new building for city school in Kozhikode

Construction of a new building for the Government Model Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode city is reportedly getting delayed even though funds were allocated by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) for the purpose over six years ago.

Functionaries of the school PTA claim that though the KIIFB earmarked ₹3 crore for the new building in 2019 and assigned the job to INKEL Ltd., the work did not begin. Later, in 2022, the estimated expenditure was revised to ₹3.9 crore. However, the situation remains the same.

A.P. Sushanth, PTA president, says that at present, classes are now being conducted in age-old buildings that are in a dilapidated condition. Over 1,500 children are studying in the school. The district office of SCOLE Kerala that runs classes in the open school category too are located on the premises. The public exams for higher secondary students in the open school stream are held here. Demands to shift them to elsewhere have not been considered, the PTA functionaries say.

“The school authorities don’t have some of the land documents that are required to get a feasibility certificate from the Kozhikode Corporation for the building construction using KIIFB funds. Apparently, buildings can be constructed on only 30% of the land available on the school premises. The corporation authorities are also seeking a site plan of the school,” he says.

The PTA has now approached District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh seeking his intervention. They are also hopeful that the newly elected council of the Corporation will take a favourable approach on the issue. However, corporation officials are of the opinion that other schools are arranging the required documents on their own.

Meanwhile, work on demolishing the century-old building of the school has begun. The building constructed in 1920 was on the verge of a collapse and the school authorities have been concerned about its safety for some time.