NURMAHAL
The construction of the new building of the Government Senior Secondary School (co-education) remains to stand still following the non-release of funds by the government.
The then Nakodar MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala on December 14, 2016, laid the foundation for the construction of the new building.
New buildings became a necessity as school faced a shortage of classrooms after the demolition of a condemned building in 2012. Non-Residents Indians (NRI’s) and the state government jointly made efforts to start the construction of the new building for which Nagar council had donated 14 kanals and 17 marlas land to the education department. NRI Raj Nayyar had donated Rs 10 lakh for the construction of the school building.
The director general of school education (DGSE) released Rs1.14 crore for the construction of the building in October 2013, following directions from the Punjab State Human Rights Commission.
The school principal received Rs 57 lakhs in 2013 which was deposited in the accounts of the public works department as it is the agency to construct government buildings above Rs 50 lakhs.
The public works department had completed fifty percent of the construction work and the finance department had not released the remaining grant as a result work came to stand still.
Nakodar MLA I.K. Mann had said that the construction would be resumed soon as the remaining grant is being released by the government after her intervention but still no grant has been released and no work has started.
It is pertinent to mention here that the principal of the senior secondary school Nurmahal had asked the public works department to stop the construction of the new building.
District education officer(DEO) (senior secondary) in an official communication to the Jalandhar deputy commissioner had said that the school principal in an official communication to the executive engineer construction division public works department (B and R) on June 14, 2017, that construction work of school building should be stopped till permission is not received from Archeological Survey of India who has declared construction building as illegal and banned further construction on June 13, 2017.
DEO said in his communication had said that that the education department in an official communication to ASI on September 13, 2017, had demanded a no-objection certificate but no NOC was granted, and it was decided to hand over four rooms to the primary school.
The school education department said in a reply under the RTI Act that no objection certificate (NOC) from ASI has not been received so far.