MHRD withholds rent for SSA schools

Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has refused to release the rent for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) schools in JK citing poor performance of the JK government in completing the annual target of civil works over the past several years.

“The state government couldn’t take up construction works of schools under SSA scheme because of several reasons. With the result, the liabilities of civil works got piled up,” an official said.

Earlier, Rs 2000 was given by MHRD as rent component for each school per month.

“But after the state government failed to take up the construction work on sanctioned schools, the MHRD was fumed and refused to pay the rent for the schools which were functioning from rented accommodations,” the official said.

Since the inception of SSA scheme in JK state the state government received a target of around 10433 school buildings till the current financial year out of which only 8928 buildings have been completed while the rest are pending as liability with the state.

“The department has a liability of civil works which were sanctioned during the fiscal year of 2006-2007. The work is halted due to cost escalation over the years,” the official said.

Of the 10433 school buildings sanctioned, work on 1065 is halted at plinth, lintel or roof level while as 440 school buildings are yet to be taken up by the government.

“At most of the places we are having land acquisition problems. In some cases the department has additional requirement of money,” the official said.

In the recently held Project Approval Board meeting in New Delhi, MHRD expressed its dismay over the slow pace of civil works over the past years.

However the state representatives who attended the meeting blamed the “elections and floods” in the state for the delay. The Project Approval Board (PAB) has already refused to approve State’s proposal for the spill over Rs. 199.65 lakh of the year 2012-13 which has not been cleared and utilized by the State.

The state government has rent liabilities of more than 2300 rented schools for past many years and the land owners, according to officials, are threatening to seize the school property.

“Although the number of rented schools has decreased after the rationalisation of schools but the rent liability is yet to be cleared,” the officials said.

State Project Director (SPD) SSA, Ramesh Kumar told that government was looking for every option to clear the rent liability which has piled up. “We are looking for means and ways to clear the liability. Government is at it,” Ramesh Kumar said.

Asked about the halted construction of school buildings, he said the government was mulling to take the pending civil works in collaboration with centrally sponsored scheme-NREGA. “The labor component will be covered under NREGA scheme while the department will use the available money on construction part,” he said, adding that no concrete decision was taken regarding it but the possibility is in consideration of the government. “We will take all deputy commissioners on board before taking up the halted work.”