The announcement by Yogesh Behl to give 80% concession in property tax to those private schools having higher secondary section (10+2) has apparently snowballed into a controversy.
The announcement by Pimpri-Chinchwad mayor Yogesh Behl to give 80% concession in property tax to those private schools having higher secondary section (10+2) has apparently snowballed into a controversy.
The proposal will be tabled on an urgent basis during the general body meeting of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) on Wednesday, and implemented after approval.
According to education board officers, the civic body will lose Rs3.5 crore in revenue annually if the proposal is implemented. Right to Information (RTI) Act activists and some parents have opposed the proposal vehemently.
Shriram Pande, state president of Right to Information Forum of Senior Citizens for Instant Information, has issued a letter to the PCMC strongly opposing such a move. “There are about 256 schools teaching up to +2 level in Pimpri-Chinchwad area and about Rs11.50 crore is pending as property tax. Instead of taking strong action against such schools, the PCMC is planning to give 80% concession in property tax. It is ridiculous,’’ he said.
He threatened to go on a hunger strike if the general body approved the proposal. He said Behl should take the lead in ensuring that schools which have defaulted in paying the property taxes pay up immediately. “Behl should remind these private schools about their neglect of duty and direct them to pay pending property tax,’’ he said.
He recalled that in 2007, the general body discussed a proposal offering 100% discount to private schools in property tax. It was approved despite strong opposition. “It is high time the general body scraps that old proposal and collects pending dues from the schools. When that proposal was passed, the dues were Rs4.72 crore and now they have swelled to Rs11.50 crore,’’ he added.
A section of local residents also strongly condemned the proposal. A parent, Pranita Sangmitra said, “Every year, these private school increase the fees by at least 10%, putting a lot of pressure on the students. Some of the school managements even ask parents to withdraw their children if they are unable to pay the new fee structure. The PCMC should not show any leniency to any school in financial matters.’’
The parents also suggested that the PCMC education board set up a helpline to register parents’ complaints against schools. “The mayor should think of the common man, not the managements of private schools,’’ remarked some aggrieved parents.
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