New Delhi, December 22
No municipal school will be run in tents after March 31 2002, Mr Prithvi Raj Sawhney, chairman, standing committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), announced here today. He was speaking after laying the foundation stones for two primary school buildings at Pochanpur and Rawta villages on the Najafgarh road.
Many of the MCD schools in North-West Delhi are running in tents. If not in tents, the condition of other schools has been pathetic. Till recently, the MCD Primary School in Hakikat Nagar carried on for six months without even a boundary wall till the principal and residents of the area approached the Municipal Commissioner. The wall was constructed finally.
Moreover, the sitting arrangements leave a lot to be desired. The children of class 3 are still sitting on mats. A resident of the area on request of anonymity said, “Most of the MCD schools in nearby areas, including those in Vijay Nagar, Model Town, Mukherjee Nagar and Azadpur are in a very pathetic condition. Shortage of drinking water is very common. Now with the monsoon season becoming more active, schools are often flooded. The payments of teachers have been delayed. But being government employees, they cannot question the authorities. They do not bother at all.”
Now the civic body says it will construct 2,000 new classrooms to provide clean and healthier environment to the children of its schools in the Capital. Over 70,000 desks had been purchased, Mr Prithvi Raj Sawhney said. However he blamed the Delhi Government and said the plan funds were deliberately being released late due to political considerations.
He said that the corporation was planning to introduce computer education in its schools so that the children could learn computer at a tender age and cope up and compete with students of private and public schools.
The MCD has built a new building for a school in Rohini. Till date, the children used to sit in tents in the school. Eighteen classrooms have been built at a cost of Rs 44 lakh. Mr Vijendra Kumar, Councillor of the area, said, “Of the 17 primary schools in the constituency, 14 are running in well-built buildings. For the remaining three schools, the constructions have already been started at the sites and 84 riots victims residing in the nearby areas will be greatly benefited by the new schools.
Over Rs 30 lakh will be spent by the MCD on the school at Rawta and Rs 15 lakh on the one at Pochanpur. Mr Rajesh Gehlot, Deputy Mayor, also announced that an attractive and aesthetic picnic spot would also be developed at the nearby existing pond in Pochanpur village for tourists.
Mr Rajesh Gehlot, Deputy Mayor, Mr Manoj Shokeen, chairman of the Rural Area Committee, Mr Dharamdev Sonaki former MLA, and several local residents attended the function.
