Voices Against Relocation Of Bhubaneswar’s Sainik School Grow Shriller

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Parents’ Federation has strongly opposed the proposal for shifting Sainik School in Bhubaneswar to the outskirts of the city.

In a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, the federation urged the state government to reconsider its decision and instead work for development and expansion of the existing school.

Sainik School, established in 1961 by former CM Biju Pattnaik, is spread over 200 acre at Gadakan village. “The school has been jointly managed by the central and state Governments, providing quality education to students from all over the country. The school’s rich history, infrastructure, and contributions to the nation’s defence make it an invaluable asset that must be preserved,” read the February 19 letter.

It further stated that the institution has been preparing students for the National Defence Academy and Indian Naval Academy for over six decades. “We request that you take immediate action to stop the shifting of Sainik School, Bhubaneswar, and work towards its development and expansion. Please instruct the Works Department to stop such work which is against our future. We would be grateful if you could consider our request,” it added.

In January, the then Khurda collector K Sudarshan Chakravarthy had received an official intimation, directing him to identify a suitable patch of land for relocation of Sainik School to the city outskirts.

This followed a meeting on December 16 last year over development of a road through the school. It was discussed that the right access road meeting at Sainik School Square can’t be completed to four lane standards, if the stretch inside the Sainik School premises is not widened. However, principal of Sainik School objected to the proposal for allowing vehicular passage inside the premises from security and safety of students, according to the minutes of the meeting.

The January 7 letter from the Works Department argued that presence of the Sainik School inside the city, which is witnessing rapid urbanisation, has its own limitation. “Moreover, Sainik Schools are strategically located on outskirts of the city with facilities for sports and education for over all growth of its students. It is, therefore, decided that the option may be explored in consultation with the Ministry of Defence to relocate the existing Sainik School established in 1962 to the outskirts of the city and new infrastructure may be developed subject to relocation of the campus at the outskirts of Bhubaneswar,” it added.

The Collector was advised to identify 200 acre of government land preferably in the vicinity of other central government institutions like NISER and IIT-Bhubaneswar.

City denizens, on the other hand, have demanded for removing the dumping yard on the land meant for the school.