Proposed Kendriya Vidyalaya at Nooranad hits roadblock over land allotment

Kodikunnil Suresh, MP, has urged the State government to allocate 1.73 acres of land belonging to the Leprosy Sanatorium to establish the proposed Kendriya Vidyalaya at Nooranad in Alappuzha. He said the government’s reluctance to hand over the land had become a stumbling block in setting up the institution.

Earlier, 3.27 acres of land within the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp at Nooranad, which shares its boundaries with the sanatorium, was identified for the Kendriya Vidyalaya. As per the existing norms, at least five acres of land is required for establishing the school.

Though the State government allotted the additional land required, it is more than a km away from the ITBP camp and is a wetland. Mr. Suresh who recently visited the site said the additional land allocated by the government was not suitable for setting up the institution. Earlier this month, officials from the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Central Public Works department also visited the site.

According to the Mavelikara MP, the team submitted a report stating that the 1.73 acres of additional land allocated by the State government was not suitable for setting up the institution. However, the team expressed satisfaction with the suitability of the 3.27 acres of land set aside for the Vidyalaya near the ITBP camp.

“The decision of the State government to allot land for the Krishna Pillai memorial, sewage treatment plant and Social Justice department on the Leprosy Sanatorium premises without providing land for the Kendriya Vidyalaya is a challenge to the youth of the region. The government should reconsider its decision. Suitable land is available on the sanatorium campus, and the additional land required for the Vidyalaya should be allocated on the premises itself. If there is no favourable decision, we will explore legal avenues,” Mr. Suresh said.

He said that several letters had been sent to the Health department authorities, Chief Secretary, Ministers and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urging them to allot the land, but no favourable response has been received.

As part of efforts to strengthen the demand for land, a ‘janasabha’ will be held near the ITBP camp at 3 p.m. on Monday. Mr. Suresh and others will attend.