Similar order sought for city schools

Bipin Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 23

In wake of the Mohali Deputy Commissioner’s orders directing school managements and transporters to bear the cost of CCTVs, GPS facilities apart from salaries of women attendants, city-based parents of children have also demanded that similar directions be issued to school authorities and bus operators here.

While the Mohali administration has come to the rescue of parents, the UT Administration has not yet issued any order in this regard.

Sarvjit Singh, UT Education Secretary, said that the UT Administration had not issued any order in this regard as it was not regulating the school bus fare.

“If that is to be done, the economics must be seen before taking a call,” Singh said.

Vigilant parents, Sandeep Modgil, a resident of Mani Majra, Pradeep Sankhyan of Sector 45, Sanjiv Sharma of Sector 38 and Rajinder Singh of Sector 15, said the Administration should direct the school authorities, who are enjoying various benefits from the government, to bear the financial burden.

Sanjiv Sharma said that the government provided various facilities (like land on controlled rates and many others) on certain terms and conditions to the schools when they are established, but a majority of these never fulfil the conditions in the long run.

“Providing all the facilities (right from the pick point to the drop point ) to the students must of in their ambit, said Sankhyan.

HS Mamik, president of the Independent Schools Association, was not available for comments.

Manjit Singh, president of Chandigarh School Bus Operators Welfare Association, said that we are calculating the cost factor following the instruction of the Education Dpartment on the issue. 

“We will calculate the losses and profits and then give our presentation to the administration. A collective decision will be taken by the association members on the issue before deciding the next course of action,” he said.