Committee wants contract work
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 20 2012:
Disagreeing with the current practice of assigning contractors in building construction works, School Management Development Committee(s) Association, Chandel has asked the Government to hand over school building construction assignments to the Committee at the earliest failing which agitation would be launched from July 25 onwards.
Speaking to mediapersons at Manipur Press Club today, Association president Trimson Saka informed that in the 2011-12 fiscal a total of 46 primary schools in Chandel district have been upgraded by the Government.
Maintaining that under Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan regulation school building construction should be implemented by school management development committees, Trimson said and expressed awe that contrary to the prescribed norms information has been received about contractors under Manipur Development Society being assigned the work.
for execution of the said works by the contractors funds were also found to have been deposited in the account of Engineering Cell (Education) rather than at the account of the School Management Development Committee concerned, he said.
further stating that relevant official procedures are being processed with the knowledge and consent of the Education Minister, the Committee president prevailed upon the Minister concerned not to act against the wish and aspiration of the public.
Demanding that the Government review the entire process and hand over the task to the Committee within July 25, he asserted that not only would the Committee prevent the contractors from executing the works but would also launch intense agitation.
The president also claimed that the Government of Manipur's stand on the school building construction is against the RTE Act 2012 in respect of EGS/SSA School Building construction, in addition to highlighting that the Manipur Development Society had been unable to complete construction of 12 school buildings in Chandel district, which were assigned on an earlier occasion.
The Committee's stand on the issue had already been intimated to the Education minister on June 28 and on July 18 to the Principal Secretary (Education) through separate memorandums, said Trimson and conveyed that similar representations have been sent to the Directorate of Human Resource Development, New Delhi and to the Special Advisory Chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, New Delhi on July 17 .