PWC special school may shut down as LMA wants land for military use

Amidst all this tumult,what remains undecided is the fate of 40 special children studying in the PWC school as no alternate location has been identified so far. The LMA had earlier promised that the Army would offer an alternate site. In a letter dated June 26,Col P V Mohan,Col Adm of Poona Sub Area,had asked PWC to “decide on either the Ambedkar Community Hall or Veer Savarkar School”.

PWC president Rakhi Shetty said she sought the Ambedkar Community Hall on lease,which would have to be ratified by the Pune Cantonment Board. But on Thursday,the LMA sounded helpless when it said that they have no locus standi on the alternate site. Since January 2012,the LMA has been asking the PWC to vacate the place on the grounds that “the occupation of building by PWC is illegal and hence not tenable”. But what goes against this claim is that the PWC on demand from the Army has been paying a rent (currently Rs 7,850 per month) for at least the last 40 years. “If our occupation is illegal,what was the basis on which LMA collected the rent?” asked a PWC member.

The PWC,which is reluctant to move out as they have no legal document to support use of Ambedkar Community Hall,has shot off fresh letter to the LMA and the Army Commander seeking deadline extension. The Army is yet to reply.

Earlier the PWC had appealed for help from the defence secretary,minister of state,LMA and MP Supriya Sule but to little avail. Veteran PWC members,some in their 80s,said the local Army authorities have the power to make exceptions on the basis of the humanitarian work that the council is involved in.

In support of this,they cited their interactions with the then defence secretary Shashikant Sharma and Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh in February. The two had told the PWC members that the solution to their woes lie with the local commanders. “But the LMA has been telling us that order to resume the land for military purposes came from the Ministry of Defence,” said Pushpa Hegde,one of the conveners and former PWC president.

The LMA move comes at a time when the PWC was set to celebrate its 90th year with activities,events and seminars. They had plans to expand the 90-year-old fee clinic to an eye care centre. On October 10,Manovikas,a vocational training centre for children with special needs,completes 25 years.

“Our children are doing dance rehearsals to celebrate the silver jubilee of Manovikas,unaware of whether the place they consider their home will exist or not. For us,however,every day begins with a new uncertainty. When there is a question of survival,whether or not to celebrate existence is a secondary question,” said Hegde.