HC raps Centre, state on shifting of Eklavya School

RANCHI: The Jharkhand high court on Tuesday pulled up the state and Union govts in a public interest litigation filed against the shifting of location of the proposed Eklavya School in Chanho near Mandar assembly constituency. The court has ordered the Union and state govts to file a detailed response in the matter.
A division bench of Justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Arun Kumar Rai were hearing a PIL filed by one Gopal Bhagat who had questioned the shifting of the school.
Bhagat in his petition said 52 acres of land have been allocated by the state govt for construction of the school in Chanho. A sum of Rs 5.23 crore has also been sanctioned by the Centre for the construction of the building. A boundary wall has also been constructed around the perimeter of the land, Bhagat said.
The foundation stone of the school was laid by Union minister Arjun Munda. However, despite initiation of construction in the project after finalisation of the detailed project report, the govt wanted to shift the school to another location, Bhagat said.
Earlier, the high court had ordered a stay on the shifting of the school which was also upheld by the Supreme Court. The bench in an oral observation said public money is set to be squandered. The construction of the boundary wall has been done and now it will have to be demolished for change in location. Who will bear the financial loss? the bench asked.
The court also said it seems there is no rule of law and the govt is being handled by a few influential people. The court ordered the Union and the state govts to file a detailed response in the matter. The case will be heard again after a fortnight. Eklavya School is a model residential school conceived by the Centre to promote education specifically for the Scheduled Tribes. Grants will be given to the school by the Union govt to impart education to the weaker sections of society.