The Times of India       08.12.2010

HUDA turns heat on private schools in city

GURGAON: The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is planning to crack the whip on private schools which had upgraded their status from primary to higher secondary on their own without seeking official approval.

The schools which are found violating the HUDA rules would face penalty. The apex housing body allocates plots in different sectors at a nominal price. But a recent departmental probe revealed that many of the private schools have violated the HUDA rules blatantly. Confirming this, the HUDA administrator, Nitin Yadav, said : It has come to our notice that some of the schools which were given land to setup primary sections have now upgraded themselves to become middle-level schools while many of those which were meant to be middle-level schools have now become senior secondary sschools. This is in violation of the HUDA rules and regulations.

The internal probe established that many schools which were given land on a specific plot earmarked for nursery have become senior secondary school in the same premises. Refusing to divulge the names of the schools, another official said: List of all the plots which were given in last ten years in Gurgaon has been prepared. This has been matched with the list of private schools registered with the district education office in Gurgaon. We have found discripancies in the status of the schools at the time of allotment of land and current.

When asked about the action to be taken against the schools, the HUDA administrator said that such schools would face action, which could include monetary penalty. There is fixed parameter for earmarking a nursery school or secondary school in each sector. Now if the schools on their own decide to upgrade their status, it jeopardize the planning of the housing body, said another senior HUDA official.