Ganguly defends Kolkata school project amid protest

KOLKATA - Even as a section of residents sat on a hunger strike against his move to construct a school at the upscale satellite township of Salt Lake, former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly Thursday asserted that the project was in tune with the laws and regulations of the land. “I have never in my life done anything against rules or regulations. I have never broken the law. In this case also all regulations have been followed,” Ganguly said on the sidelines of a programme at his cricket coaching centre.

Ganguly’s comments came at the end of a day that saw locals being joined by artists and intellectuals in the hunger strike opposite the plot where the school is scheduled to come up.

An NGO, Humanity, which organised the hunger strike. Noted painter Suvaprasanna and educationist Sunanda Sanyal also joined the agitation.

A section of the residents are opposing the project saying the stretch of the road already had two schools and the area was originally earmarked for a college.

“We have nothing against Ganguly. He is a hero. But we feel the plot of land has been given to him by flouting all rules,” Suvaprasanna told IANS.

The painter said the state’s ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) wanted to use star players for their propaganda. “That’s the reason they are giving him these kinds of sops which will only spoil his reputation.”

Suvaprasanna said the plot was also “grossly underpriced”.

“As per the government rate, the plot (23 cottahs) should be priced at more than Rs.15 million. But it has been handed over to him for only Rs.2.3 million,” he said.

The painter said with two schools in the vicinity, big traffic snarls occur there every morning and afternoon. “A total of 3,900 students study in the two schools. A third school will make the area unlivable.”