Pune: A human chain of around 300 people was formed at Bhide Wada, opposite Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple by Bhide Wada Smarak Samiti on Thursday. They demanded that the iconic Bhide Wada structure be declared a national monument.
Bhide Wada was the first school for girls, started in Pune on January 1, 1848, by Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule.
The school was named after the owner of the property, Tatyarao Bhide, a social worker. However, the school was shut down after 15 years and the building became dilapidated. To preserve it, Bhide Wada Smarak Samiti appealed to the Bombay High Court (HC) in 2010 to declare it as a national monument, but the issue is pending with the HC as the tenants there have stated that if the structure is renewed, they will need another apartment to live in.
Deepak Jagtap, a member of the Samiti, said, "The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has offered help of Rs 1 crore and the decision of renovating and maintaining it was also approved in the PMC Standing Committee meeting. The government lawyer who was looking after this case from 2010 is not showing up, and that is the main reason behind the case remaining pending."
