SoBo school asks students to pay up, as lease expires

Started as a home for destitute girls Regina Pacis School in Byculla needs a new lease of life The establishment is one of 480 properties in the city that have been notified by the administration that their contract with the government has run out and they should either start paying a yearly rent or purchase the estates at one go The notices were sent by the city collectorrsquos office last month Two more lessees from SoBo have denoted the purpose of agreement as educational Not much of an option Regina Pacis School in Byculla has three choices before it either vacate the place pay Rs 20 lakh every year as rent or buy the land for Rs 10 crore The school has three choices before it either vacate the place pay Rs 20 lakh every year as rent or buy the land for Rs 10 crore The institute says it had received a similar notice in 2002 and had requested the government to renew the contract period but there was no response The sudden notice of lease termination has come as a shock representatives lament When MiD DAY visited the school a functionary who wished to remain anonymous said ldquoWe have appealed revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat and have also planned a meeting with the CM to discuss the issue We have also sent a request to the parents to generously donate whatever amount possible to save the school We have also gone on social media and WhatsApp asking people for help Since most of the kids are from underprivileged sections it is highly improbable that they would be able to assist us accumulate a vast sum like Rs 20 lakh every year let alone the Rs 10 crore required to obtain ownership of the land We run a school and a hostel for girls We hope the government appreciates our plight and helps us Till now we were paying Rs 1000 as annual rentrdquo Speaking to MiD DAY one of the students from Regina Pacis who did not wish to be named said ldquoThe school has made it compulsory for us to donate an amount between Rs 1000 and Rs 10000rdquo Another student said ldquoOur guardians are aware of this issue and they have been asked to help save the schoolrdquo When MiD DAY visited St Isabelrsquos High School in Mazgaon which has also got the notice headmistress Susan Fernandes said only that the management was taking care of the situation Mary Camilla manager of Gloria Convent High School Byculla remained unavailable for comment Rs 10 cr Onetime payment government expects from the school against partial ownership of the land Rs 20 lakh Annual rent the school will have to pay now if it decides to renew the lease Parents circulate angry messages On the other hand irate parents have been forwarding fiery posts through SMS and social media ldquoShameless government I have attended a meeting at Regina Pacis Girls School which also runs an orphanage a night school for maids and a girlsrsquo hostel I also realised that the school gives preference to poor children Shocking to see that the school has received a notice of 99year lease termination Now to continue the school they have to pay Rs 20 lakh yearly or buy the land for Rs 10 crore On one hand the government is pressuring girls to take up education and on the other it is asking for Rs 10 crore which is pittance in front of scams like 2G and coalgate involving shameless government ministers Is it not possible for the government to extend the lease for the sake of 500 schoolgirls and orphanagerdquo reads one of them Collector speaks ldquoWe have sent notices to at least 480 leaseholders in the city The schools that are on the list have been asked to renew the agreement as per the government policy formed in December 2012 Itrsquos up to them whether they want to recommence the lease or acquire the land on occupancy class II basis means not full ownership The rates depend on the area and the nature of property We have provided the estimate to the schools in their noticesrdquo said city collector Chandrashekhar Oaku00a0