Locals move J&K HC against minister over school

Deccan Herald: Srinagar: Monday, July 23, 2012.

The fight over upgradation of a local school between a National Conference minister and grassroot level representatives of Rafiabad area in Baramulla district has reached the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

Two panches, a local teacher and a social worker have approached the high court seeking implementation of an order pertaining to upgradation of their middle school to high school level under a Centrally-sponsored scheme.

The petition alleged that minister of state for road and buildings Javed Ahmad Dar, a Rafiabad MLA, was blocking the upgradation of the middle school at Ladu-Ladoora village in Rafiabad.

“The reason for delaying of communication of upgradation order of Government Boys Middle School Ladu-Ladoora to High School level under (Centrally-sponsored) RMSA scheme is that the concerned MLA of Rafiabad has verbally directed to me not to communicate the upgradation order because of the reasons best known to him (minister),” the zonal education officer of Rohama said in response to an RTI.

The petitioners said the school, established in 1954 as primary school and upgraded as middle school in 1964, was among 279 schools selected for upgradation under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abiyan (RMSA) in the state.

The school confers to all the parameters laid down under RMSA scheme and is set to celebrate its golden jubilee in 2014, but some ‘vested interests’ did not want it to flourish and deprive the area of secondary education, they claimed.

The high court, meanwhile, has issued notices on July 18 to Dar, the state government and the HRD ministry seeking their response on the matter within two weeks. “Now you have brought this issue to my notice, I will get it looked into,” Union HRD minister Sibal said. Repeated attempts to seek Dar’s comments did not fructify.

“The villagers have their last hope in the judicial system and appointed the petitioners to approach the court to seek the redressal of their genuine grievances,” the petitioners had pleaded.

The residents alleged that the minister wants the school of another village to get upgraded.