Mumbai: The Bombay high court has directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to give a structural report on the decision by the management of M.K. School at Borivali (west) to shift the school to another premise in Borivali (east) within a week as the parents are objecting to the shifting of the school. The management has claimed that the current school structure, which houses classes from one to ten, is in a dilapidated state and as the CBSE board has directed it to shift the school immediately, it will be doing so by August 30.
A division bench of Justices Anoop Mohta and Bharati Dangare was hearing a writ petition filed by parents of children studying in a school run by Borivali Education Society at Borivali (west) seeking stay on the management’s decision to shift the school to Borivali (east) in the middle of the term as it would inconvenience their children. The petition also alleged that the proposed premise in Borivali (east) was surrounded by bars and anti-social elements and hence they feared the worst for their children. The parents also alleged that the move by the management was for commercial exploitation of the 11,000 sq mt area and had political backing too.
Senior advocate Mihir Desai counsel for the parents said that the claims of the management that the building was dilapidated were exaggerated and the structural audit report based on which the shifting was proposed was not valid as it was done privately.
“While the management claims that the structure is dilapidated, the premise is being let out for wedding functions, and the proposal of redevelopment is an eyewash as the management was to commercially exploit the land,” argued Mr Desai.
However, Vishal Samtani, the counsel for the school said that the management was a charitable institution and had got permission from the CBSE board to shift the premise.
