Telangana high court seeks state’s response on PM Shri irregularities, no toilets at Gadwal govt school

Hyderabad: Telangana high court on Tuesday directed the state govt and Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan project director to file counters in a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging fraudulent and arbitrary allotments made under PM Shri Schools and Samagra Shiksha Schools for vocational education in Telangana.The PIL, initiated based on a letter to the chief justice, sought a detailed and time-bound inquiry into the allegations and directions for an investigation into violations of bidding norms by officials of the school education department.
The first PIL alleged that school education department officials collected huge amounts from bidders and allotted funds to their favoured persons, leading to an abrupt disruption of bidding for the 2024-25 academic year.The letter further alleged that the Union govt, with an intention to provide technical knowledge to the poor and needy, allotted funds for establishing PM Shri Schools and Samagra Shiksha School. It stated that the Telangana govt called for bids for the establishments of 946 schools in the state, out of which bids for 500 schools were approved.In another PIL alleging a lack of toilets in a govt school in Jogulamba Gadwal district, the court directed the state to explain its stand on the matter in three weeks. The PIL was initiated based on a letter to the chief justice, which in turn was based on a news article published in a vernacular daily.The PIL, based on the letter from an OU law student, alleged non-availability of toilets at the Zilla Parishad High School, Undavelli mandal, and Maldhakal Junior College, Jogulamba Gadwal district, due to which the students were facing inconvenience.Though the construction of toilets commenced over two years ago, it was stopped abruptly due to non-payment of bills to the contractor, the PIL stated.The PIL further alleged that 400 girl students along with 20 teachers working at the Undavelli Zilla Parishad High School were suffering due to lack of toilets. It also highlighted that students and teachers were suffering and works were pending despite the fact that Nagarkurnool MP Mallu Ravi, during a visit to the school, assured to sanction 1 crore under corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.The PIL was adjourned for further hearing.