National Academy for Learning in the Bangalore has been accused of defaulting on payment and encroaching on land.
Schools and institutions of higher learning in Bangalore have been in the news for all the wrong reasons in the recent past, and the bad news doesn’t seem to stop. Now, a well-known education society in the city has been accused of defaulting on payment and encroaching on land.
The National Academy for Learning (NAFL), a reputed institution run by the National Public Schools’ Citizens Education Society, has not bothered to renew its lease agreement with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) since 2007 for the civic amenities (CA) site provided to run an educational institution.
As per the documents available with DNA (obtained from BDA through an RTI on November 30, 2010), the Academy’s 30-year lease agreement expired in 2007 itself, but the school not only did not bother to renew the agreement, it continued to admit students.
The issue is also not just about the renewal of lease agreement. NAFL is also a defaulter: the school has to pay over Rs99 lakh to the BDA.
In May 2009, the BDA issued a notice to NAFL insisting that it pay the penal amount within 15 days.
“I asked for all the documents available with BDA related to the lease agreement of CA site given to NAFL as on November 30, 2010. As per the documents provided by BDA, NAFL is a defaulter and has to pay `99,13,095 to the BDA. The institution is yet to renew the lease agreement which expired in 2007,” said RTI activist AR Ashok Kumar Adiga.
Documents available with DNA also accuse NAFL of encroachment: the institution has encroached upon the land belonging to neighbouring Sri Vani Education Centre.
The BDA issued a notice to NAFL regarding this issue as well. The original area provided to Citizens Education Society was 52,650 square feet, but it has now increased to 56,277.81 square feet.
In its notice, the BDA said, “The original land provided to you was 52650 sq ft, but you have encroached upon 3,627.81 sq ft and the current total land is 56,277.81 sq ft. You have encroached upon 2,561.31 sq ft from the civic amenities site allotted to Vani Education Centre and constructed (a) four-storey building. For that encroachment, as per the decision taken by the authority you have to pay Rs69,98,870 as penalty amount as per the market rate in that particular area.”
The notice further says, “Other than the site belonging to Vani Education Society, you have encroached 1,066.49 sq ft area in and around the site provided to you. So, as per the order by the commissioner (of BDA) you have to pay Rs29,14,225 which included a penalty for encroachment and lease amount for the encroached area.”
Talking about the issue, Adiga said that he had written letters to BDA commissioner but it was of no use. “I approached Lokayukta and submitted all the documents, i got through RTI and complained against BDA for not taking any action against the Citizen Education Society,” said Adiga.
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