The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Education department is set with its design plan to construct a two-storey school next to GD Somani Memorial School in Cuffe Parade.
The civic body is now in process of obtaining clearances from the Coastal Regulatory Zone, the Defence and other concerned agencies before finalising the design plan.
In 1985, the Somani Trust was given the 5736 sqm plot owned by the BMC, where the GD Somani school is currently located, to construct two school buildings of which one of the buildings constructed on the plot would be handed over to the BMC to run a municipal school. However, it never materialised, and the remaining area plot is now being used by GD Somani school for parking school buses.
The local Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Arvind Sawant, however, alleges that the BMC school has not come up because of political pressures from the local Member of Legislative Assembly BJP's Raj Purohit and his support for Somani trust.
But the BMC was delayed in its plan to construct a municipal school in Cuffe Parade even after the 2011 Bombay High Court giving the BMC the go-ahead to construct the school building on the land.
However, rejecting all allegations from the Shiv Sena, Purohit said, "A civic school should definitely come and there is no political pressure. It is just lack of willingness on the part of the BMC. If anyone approaches me, I will definitely help speed up the procedure to build a civic school there."
A senior civic official said, "I have sent the design plan of the two-storey school with including an auditorium. It is the BMC's plot and a school will definitely come up there. It may take time to obtain required clearances but the school will be built."
However, DN Seymour, Principal of GD Somani school, said, "I only found out today that a civic school is proposed on the plot. The area has always been used to park school buses. I will talk to the trustee to find out more about the issue."
IN THE DARK
When asked, DN Seymour, Principal of GD Somani school, said, “I only found out today that a civic school is proposed on the plot. The area has always been used to park school buses. I will talk to the trustee to find out more about the issue.”
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