No move to convert Sainik School into hotel: Badal

Chandigarh, Mar 20 (UNI) The Punjab government has no proposal to acquire the prestigious Sainik School at Kapurthala for converting it into a heritage hotel.

This assurance was given to the state Vidhan Sabha by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal when Sukhpal Khaira (Cong) raised the issue during zero hour.

''There was never any move to acquire the Sainik School building for a heritage hotel'', he assured the House while contradicting media reports in this context.

The Sainik School building is located in the palace of the erstwhile Maharaja of Kapurthala and is the most prestigious institute of its kind in the state. The Minister of state for Defence Pallam Raju had visited the Sainik School last Saturday amid reports that the state government was contemplating to take over the school building from the Ministry of Defence.

The Old Boys Association of the school had also expressed its opposition to the move and were considering to meet the Chief Minister on this issue. According to media reports, the state government was planning to take over the school building following a fall in the number of students over the years.

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