Transfer of assets of Tibetan schools to NGO opposed in Himachal

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 18

The parents of students of Central School for Tibetans, Chhota Shimla, are up in arms against the decision of the Union Government to hand over property worth crores of rupees belonging to the Central Tibetan Schools Administration (CTSA) to a Tibetan NGO in violation of Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act.

Parents, along with social workers, have decided to file a public interest litigation (PIL) against the government decision to hand over the property of 45 Tibetan schools to the Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society (STSS) in violation of laws.

They argued that a large number of non-Tibetans were also studying in these schools and 12 of 14 schools under the CTSA had been handed over to the Tibetan NGO while the CST at Shimla and Dalhousie would be handed over within a month.

The parents said that the best decision would be to convert these schools into Kendriya Vidyalayas to safeguard the interests of non-Tibetan students. The financial burden of running these schools was meager as compared to the value of the properties and the Central Government should reconsider its decision, said Desh Bandhu Joshi, coordinator of the Parents’ Representative Social Workers of CST Schools.

Parents to file PIL

Parents, along with social workers, said they had decided to file a public interest litigation (PIL) against the government decision to hand over the property of 45 Tibetan schools to the Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society.