The Defence Service Corps (DSC), which is planning to fence the land in front of St. Michael Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, has toughened its stance against those using the land by fining them.
On Saturday, defence personnel levied fine on those who parked vehicles in the said space. It has apparently caused a rift between the DSC and people living around the cantonment area and the school authorities who were using the land.
The school has moved the Kerala High Court against the decision of the DSC, with an appeal to preserve the ground as such for the school to use it. It has also appealed to the court to stop the DSC from reclassifying the space without issuing a notice.
School principal S.J. John Francis said the management was looking for an amicable solution, as the school had been using the ground ever since its establishment in 1865. The ground had been classified as B-4 defence land. In February 2021, the school received a letter saying that the land had been re-classified as A-1 defence land for military purposes.
“A lot of land is available with the DSC, and it should reconsider its decision, so that children attending the school are not inconvenienced,” Mr. Francis said. An earlier attempt by the DSC to fence the land was strongly opposed by local residents and people’s representatives.
