Lucknow, Jan. 7 -- La Martiniere College here has sent about 15 orphaned boys between the age of seven and 17 years to the Rajkiya Bal Griha, a government-run shelter home on Mohaan Road, for the winter vacation. The move drew criticism from former pupils while the principal said it was a temporary step in view of the renovation of the hostel kitchen. When contacted, La Martiniere College principal Garry Dominic Everet, said, "Ever since they were brought to La Martiniere, they were never sent to any shelter home. Since renovation work is taking place in the kitchen, we had no other option but to send them to a government shelter home. It's a proper government shelter home for boys." "Once the renovation work is over, we will bring them back to school. We have not sent them permanently. The chairman of the college has been duly informed," the principal added. After the winter break, La Martiniere College will reopen in two phases -- for pre-boards on January 12 and for the other classes on January 19. Leena Johri, additional chief secretary, Women and Child Development, said: "The kids are here (at the shelter home) and they are being looked after well." Former students of the college have described this development as "unfortunate". Rajnish Chopra, an alumnus, said: "This is so sad and could have been avoided."Another alumni and senior advocate Jaideep Mathur said, "It's shocking that these children who treated La Martiniere as their only home have been sent to a shelter home." In 2015, the college had adopted 18-20 orphaned boys, gave them admission in the institution and opened the doors of its dormitory for their stay with other boarders as a part of its inclusive education even as alumni took responsibility for their expenses. Some of the boys have been in the college for nearly 8-10 years. The institution is the largest residential school in Lucknow, an alumni argued....