Relocate educational institutions: HC

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has observed that it is high time that the state government considered shifting of educational institutions from crowded parts of towns.  A Division Bench comprising Justice C N Ramachandran Nair and Justice K Vinod Chandran passed the order while considering a petition filed by Model Technical Higher Secondary School (MTHSS) Protection Forum chairman Moideenshah against the government’s decision to allot the land and building of NUALS to establish the Family Court, Alternative Dispute Redressal Centre and a Juvenile Court.  The court rejected the plea of MTHSS which claimed the land of NUALS which is close to the school. It observed that the MTHSS was run on the roadside and near to the bus stand. There is no dispute that the environment is not conducive to academic purpose, it said.  The court said that not only the MTHSS but also several other educational institutions are run on busy roadsides in the city and there is a need to  shift them to peaceful places having more area. “Several educational institutions in the city were started decades ago when Ernakulam was a small town. In the course of the past few years, the town has become so congested and polluted. The environment and atmosphere are thoroughly non-conducive to academies,” the court said.  The court directed that the petitioner should request the government to allot land on the periphery of the town. The government can certainly use the expensive commercial land now occupied by the schools for other purposes or even sell it for commercial need in the open market and raise funds for setting up schools in larger plots outside city limits, the court held.The school has been running on the premises for the past 20 years. But on a relative consideration of the need of the High Court and the school for more land, the High Court’s decision outweighs, the court said. The government allotted the space to the High Court following the Acting Chief Justice’s request. The Family Court is situated on the first floor of a rented building and is in a deplorable condition, the court noted.