MCD provides school buildings for setting up Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, AAP objects

AAP alleged school sites are being converted to health centres, violating HC order that land allocated for education can't be used for non-education purposes.

New Delhi:The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has approved the use of several education department buildings and sites for setting up Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in the city.

BJP and the education committee said no school has been closed and only old or vacant buildings are being provided for setting up health clinics.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), however, alleged that the school sites are being converted to health centers, violating the high court order stating that land allocated for education cannot be used for non-education purposes.

In response, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the education committee said no school has been closed and only old or vacant buildings are being provided for setting up health clinics.

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An education department order dated Feb 2, 2026 states, “Several education department sites have been selected for upgradation into Ayushman Arogya Mandir with approval of the MCD commissioner.”

The sites include Old MCD primary school building at Molarband extension, Puth Khurd, Nangal Thakran and MCPS Sultanpur dabas. Similar orders issued in 2025 covered 13 other schools in Mukhmelpur, Khera Khurd, Auchandi, Barwala, Daryapur, Malikpur, Regarpur, Sitaram Bazar, among others.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the MCD Ankush Narang, alleged in a press conference on Thursday that the BJP had shut down 48 MCD schools and converted them into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

He added that the directorate of education had illegally allowed the use of land for non-educational purposes.

He added, “The MCD’s responsibility is to provide primary education, but schools are being converted into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. If MCD primary school land can only be used for education, why was permission granted for Ayushman Arogya Mandirs?”

Education committee chairperson Yogesh Verma denied said allegations, calling them baseless and stating that no school has been closed for the project. “There are around 20 sites where building were vacant, old or decrepit. Schools were not functioning from these sites. New school buildings have been set up at many locations. Old buildings or rooms will be repaired and used for Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.”

Verma said that some old school buildings in villages were spread across just 200-300 yard plots and did not follow NEP guidelines or fire NOC requirements; they were either vacant or in disuse. “New larger schools were set up in these villages.”

Mayor Pravesh Wahi said that the claim made by Narang is completely false and said no MCD school has been shut; rather, the number of students in MCD schools has increased.

“About one and a half years ago, when the BJP won the Delhi Assembly elections and later returned to the Municipal Corporation administration, there were 1,514 functioning schools under the MCD, serving approximately 650,000 students. Even today, all 1,514 primary schools remain operational,” he said.