Residents say some powerful locals, who had objections to kids from lower social strata studying at the school, instigated the metamorphosis
Residents say some powerful locals, who had objections to kids from lower social strata studying at the school, instigated the metamorphosis
It's an astounding transformation - a Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) school in south Delhi's Jangpura is now an old age home. An RTI activist seeking information on the same discovered that around 1000 children who were studying there till a while ago, have now been left in the lurch. 
Coming up: A medical dispensary for the elderly is being built inside
the premises. Pic/Rajeev Tyagi
Papers received from the MCD authorities reveal that the conversion was done without prior approval. The move also violates the Right to Education (RTE) as no property functioning as a school for children can be used for any other purpose. However, MCD education officials say there were no children to join the school as it is a posh colony, and people send their kids to reputed private schools.
The building, located right in the middle of an upper-class residential area in Jangpura-B, now appears deserted but is supposedly functioning as a facility for the elderly. The complex is still a school building in government papers and by a written order passed by the Delhi High Court saying that the school complex cannot be used for any other purpose. A copy of the documents is with MiD DAY.
Change is here
The board outside the building describes it as an old age home in Hindi and Senior Citizen's Welfare Association in English. According to official sources, the conversion was carried out in 2008, notably, for no concrete reasons. However, officials from the MCD central zone, under the jurisdiction of which the area falls, claim that they had to shut it down because of dearth of students. 
SK Tandon (inset), a member of the old age homeu00a0says some
residents were not happy with the school as underprivileged kids studied
there. PICs/Rajeev Tyagi
However, RTI activist DN Srivastava, who had sought information about the status of the school, was told that it was a primary school, and about a thousand children from the lower social strata used to study in the there in morning (for girls) and afternoon (for boys) shifts. "I was shocked to see the conversion of a primary school into an almost non-functioning club for the elderly. There is no knowledge as to where the children went after that. Maybe they have picked up odd jobs somewhere," he said.
Visiting the school complex, one can perceive that it is not an old age home, as many people describe it as, but a club where senior citizens gather in the morning and evening hours for tea-time discussions and chats on domestic issues; there is no residential facility. 62-year-old SK Tandon is a regular here; a resident in the area for the past 50 years and also the executive member of the senior citizen committee, he has seen it all.
"It is not a place where the old can find shelter if they wish to separate from their families. But it is just that old people like us can come down and spend some time outside of home. It was better when it was a school, but powerful people here didn't allow it be so. We also use the place for celebrating birthdays of all the members," he said.u00a0u00a0u00a0
Where's everybody?
Instead of classrooms, the complex now has a kitchen, a closed gym room which cannot be used, a conference room with some furniture and a dispensary in construction which will supply free medicines to the old. A blackboard at the entrance denotes the coming birthdays of members. However, when MiD DAY contacted the MCD Deputy Education Officer, Kamlesh Sharma, of central zone, under which the said school lies, she was reluctant to answer any questions. "I don't know what school this is.
I have no idea about any school being converted into a facility for the elderly. It doesn't fall in the central zone; it is a matter of the city zone," she said. Contrary to the above statement, the chairman of the Education Committee, MCD, Mahinder Nagpal told us that the school does come under central zone. "Though I don't know about the conversion, as per my knowledge it was a school and it comes under central zone.
Also, it cannot be converted into anything else as it's a government body's school building, not subject to change of use. However, there are a number of MCD schools which are lying vacant as each of them had less than a hundred students. But, it is only now, this year that we are planning to convert the buildings for some other community use, for example, a sports complex etc, by government orders. I will look into the matter of the Jangpura school. It cannot be converted this way," he said. Despite repeated attempts by MiD DAY area councillor Farhad Suri was not available for comments.u00a0
Once upon a time
Bhagwan Singh, another member of the club, who has been residing in the area for the past 30 years, said: "A lot of children used to come to this school till a few years ago. It was a nice atmosphere with the chatter and activity of the kids. Since it is situated in the middle of the colony, with houses all around, residents had an objection to it as kids from underprivileged sections used to study and make noise."
The tea-shack owner at the gate of the complex is the only one left to tell the tale of the school as two of his children, a boy and a girl, used to study there. "Both my children were studying here. Suddenly the school was shut down and vacated. I sent them back to my village, where they study in a school at a remote location," said the man who has been serving local residents their daily cuppa for the past ten years, but did not wish to be named.
Selling point
MiD DAY had reported on November 26 last year about the Prathmik Vidyalaya, Sadiq Nagar in south Delhi's posh Defence Colony, which apart from imparting education to neighbourhood kids during the day also hosts a weekly market every Wednesday evening, with at least 25 ad hoc shops selling items of everyday need. Underwear, kitchen utensils, fake jewelleryu00a0- you'll find all of these and more at more than reasonable rates. Naturally, the market is thronged by hundreds of locals on the anointed day.
"We shop here every Wednesday as the things are cheap and the place is close to our houses. Besides, it is open till about midnight, so people can come here even after office hours," a local resident Nidhi Singhal said.
Shopkeepers are proud to be a part of the market. Naresh Kumar who sets up a cloth shop here said: "We set up this market at different locations in Delhi on different days, but this one is quite lucrative as it is in south Delhi and that too in Defence Colony where people don't argue much and we make about a thousand bucks."
Sources who tipped off MiD DAY about the market said: "It is a primary MCD school in which students till class V study in two shifts. Though as per norms no one can enter the premises when school is out, every Wednesday a full-fledged market is organised here." "Neither the MCD nor the police say anything to them. All the gates of the school remain open the entire evening. It can't be that it has not come to any of the authorities notice. Everyone is involved and everyone makes money," they alleged. When contacted, Mahender Nagpal, chairman of the education committee said: "I don't know anything about this as I have not seen it. But if something like this is happening, then rest assured that action will be taken."
Runningu00a0for cover
Ironically, for years now, students of MCD schools have been studying in tents without basic facilities being provided to them. Every year, promises of concrete school buildings are made. But nothing really happens. This year too, Rs 300 crore had been allocated for setting up school buildings in place of tents. Since a majority of the schools are in residential areas, the biggest challenge for MCD will be to get acceptance from residents for their plans.
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