Mumbai – Municipal Corporation releases list of unauthorized schools every year but fines and cases are not filed as per rule. When asked by RTI activist Anil Galgali about the filed FIR and penalty, the Department of Education replied that the proceedings are underway.
RTI activist Anil Galgali had asked the education department of the municipality for information about the unauthorized school. This information also included information on fines levied and offenses filed. Department Inspector Christina Dias informed Anil Galgali that the information of unauthorized schools for the year 2023-2024 has been released to the public on the website of the Municipal Corporation. It is said that Proceedings are underway.
A total of 269 schools have been declared unauthorized under Rule 18 of the Right to Education Act, 2019 in the list published on the website of the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai. A fine of Rs 1 lakh is imposed on such an unauthorized school. If the school continues even after that, there is a provision of a fine of Rs 10,000 per day.
According to Anil Galgali, if possible, the school should be approved so that the future of the children is not at risk or a case should be filed and fined should be collected. The Mumbai Municipal Corporation only completes the formalities of declaring the list every year, thereby deceiving the citizens. To prevent this fraud there is a need to put up name boards outside the school stating that the school is unauthorized along with strict action. Also, in case of non-imposition of penalty, the uncollected penalty should be recovered from the concerned responsible officer.
