Sainik School Kazhakoottam Row: Waste Plant Proposed on 20 Acres of Campus Land — Alumni and Parents Protest
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📅 Nov 5, 2026
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⏱️ 4 min read
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📅 Nov 5, 2026
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⏱️ 4 min read
Last verified: 5 November 2026. The proposal, the 4 November campus inspection by Corporation officials including Mayor V.V. Rajesh, the 20-acre figure, the 1962 founding and the 600-plus cadets are CONFIRMED from two independent reports published today — EdexLive (IANS wire, 5 November 2026) and The Hans India (5 November 2026, 12:34 IST). No final decision on the plant has been reported anywhere: it is a proposal being assessed for feasibility, not an approved project.
Photo: Pexels
The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation wants to set up a municipal solid waste-based Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant — and the site it has in mind is 20 acres of the Sainik School Kazhakoottam campus. A team of Corporation officials, including elected representatives and Mayor V.V. Rajesh, inspected the school campus on 4 November 2026 to assess whether the plant could be set up there.
The news, reported today, has set off a wave of anger among the school’s alumni, parents, students and local residents. Social media groups of former students have been flooded with angry reactions, and the school’s Old Boys’ Association — now into its sixth decade — is at the centre of the pushback.
Sainik School Kazhakoottam was established in 1962 under the Ministry of Defence, and it is one of the oldest and most respected Sainik Schools in the country. Its alumni include serving and retired senior Defence officers, doctors, scientists, bureaucrats and award-winning film personalities. More than 600 cadets currently live and study on the campus — it is not a day school they visit, it is where they train, play, eat and sleep.
That residential fact is the heart of the protest. Parents fear the day-to-day reality of a waste facility next to hostels and classrooms: garbage truck movement, foul smell, noise, flies and the health and environmental problems that come with them. Residents of Kazhakoottam and nearby areas are worried too — the area has grown into a major residential and commercial hub, with Technopark, hospitals, schools and thousands of homes.
And there is a question of principle that alumni keep raising: nobody is questioning the need for scientific waste management or clean energy, but why should a school that has served the nation for over six decades be considered for such a facility? There are also questions about the suitability of bringing a municipal waste facility close to a Defence-run institution that houses hundreds of young cadets.
Alumni groups, parents and local residents are preparing to take the issue up with the Defence Ministry and the state government, asking the Corporation to drop the reported proposal and look for an alternative site away from schools and residential areas.
For now, that is where things stand: a proposal, a site inspection, and a protest. No decision, no timeline and no construction have been reported. If you are a Kerala parent reading this with an AISSEE form half-filled, here is the practical point — this row changes nothing about admissions. Applications for AISSEE 2027 are open from 3 November to 2 December 2026, the exam is on 31 January 2027, and Kazhakoottam admits through that same national exam. File the form on schedule, and watch this space for any official word on the plant proposal.
For the full Kerala picture, read our Sainik Schools in Kerala guide, and for the application schedule, our AISSEE 2027 notification guide.
Is a waste plant being built on Sainik School Kazhakoottam’s campus?
No construction has been reported. The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has proposed a municipal waste-based Compressed Biogas plant on 20 acres of the campus, and its officials inspected the site on 4 November 2026 to assess feasibility. It is a proposal under examination, not an approved project.
Does the Kazhakoottam row affect AISSEE 2027 admissions?
No. Nothing in the reports links the proposal to admissions. AISSEE 2027 applications remain open from 3 November to 2 December 2026, and the exam is on 31 January 2027. Kerala parents should apply on the normal schedule.
Why are alumni and parents protesting the proposal?
Because more than 600 cadets live and study on the residential campus. Parents fear garbage truck movement, foul smell, noise, flies and health risks, and alumni say a Defence-run school that has served for over six decades should not be considered for a municipal waste facility.
What happens next in the Kazhakoottam waste plant row?
Alumni groups, parents and local residents are preparing to take the issue up with the Defence Ministry and the state government, asking the Corporation to drop the proposal and find an alternative site away from schools and residential areas. No decision has been reported yet.
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