Hisar temple-school tussle worsens, students drop out

Tribune News Service

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, April 18

After coexisting for nearly four decades, the government primary school and a temple (sharing a wall) located on a piece of land of the market committee at the grain market in Hisar town have been at loggerheads for a few months now.

The temple authorities want the school to be evicted from the premises as they want to expand the temple.

Land belongs to market committee

• The land belongs to the market committee at Hisar grain market
• A temple and a four-room school have existed on this land for nearly 40 years
• The school now has about 140 students, including girls, and five staff members
• As the temple authorities want to expand the temple, they are demanding that the school be shifted to another site

A verbal spat occurred between the school staff and the temple authorities three days ago and the school incharge called the police for intervention. The District Elementary Education Department officials called the entire staff today to discuss the issue.

The tussle has taken a toll on the students as well. As the school also doesn’t have toilets or other basic facilities, the strength of students has gone down from 170 last year to about 140 this year. The school has staff of five teachers, including four women teachers. Staff and students are forced to relieve themselves in the bushes nearby.

Neelam, incharge of the school, said that a number of students have stopped coming to the school after the spat on Monday when the temple authorities created a scene on the school premises. “We have brought the matter to the knowledge of the District Elementary Education Office and hope that action will be initiated against those who barged into the school,” she said.

Pradhan of the temple, Ashok Gupta, said that former minister Savitri Jindal has constructed a school building in Ambedkar Colony and this school should be shifted there. “We want this school to be shifted from here and urge the district administration to make alternative arrangements as there is no need for this school in the grain market,” he said.

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