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Journalism of Courage
The school board of the Pune Municipal Corporation PMC and controversies seem to go hand-in-hand. In a latest happening, the civic school board wants to create its own website at the cost of Rs eight lakh despite the existence of PMC8217;s own website. The board has independently invited a tender for developing the website.
Secondly, following in the footsteps of the PMC corporators, who left no stone unturned for a hike in their honorarium, the school board members have sought to increase the amount of their monthly honorarium. School board members Vijay Kharade and Anil Sondkar have jointly tabled a proposal before the civic standing committee to increase the monthly honorarium of the school board members by Rs 1000, from the present Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000. This demand has come despite the school board having been held guilty for indulging irregularities in the school material purchase.
Strongly opposing this move, civic activists Vijay Kumbhar Vivek Velankar and Jugal Rathi has questioned the need of such a separate website and has suggested them to put the information on PMC8217;s official website.
Kumbhar said, 8220;The school board has been in news for the irregularities in the purchase of school uniform and other school material. The education officer of the school board Sudhakar Tambe has been found guilty. Despite all this, the school board now wants to create a website at the cost of Rs eight lakh. The school board seems to be not under the control of PMC and acting as per its whims.8221;
8220;Besides, there was no separate allocation made for this website in PMC8217;s budget in 2008-09 and therefore, the school board does not have any right to spend so much money,8221; the press release said.
The activists have also brought to the notice another tender given by the school board a few days back for the purchase of sweaters for civic school students. 8220;During winter, the rates of the sweaters go up by about 40 to 60 per cent. Why don8217;t they make such purchases in time?8221;
They have also pointed out the lack of political will to take strict action against the erring authorities in the school board.
