BMC school notebooks found with fewer pages, Oppn alleges ₹1.5 crore loss

Notebooks which were supposed to contain 196 pages and 96 pages actually had 180 pages and 88-90 pages, respectively, said Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders

Mumbai: Leader of Opposition in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Kishori Pednekar and fellow Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator and education committee member Priyank Raut on Friday alleged that notebooks distributed to students in BMC-run schools have fewer pages than designated in the tender, and the civic body may have lost ₹1-1.5 crore owing to the alleged shortfall.

BMC school notebooks found with fewer pages, Oppn alleges ₹1.5 crore loss

Raut raised the matter after visiting the BMC-run Tare Park school in Dahisar on Friday, where teachers were distributing notebooks among students. Upon checking, he found that notebooks which were supposed to contain 196 pages and 96 pages actually had 180 pages and 88-90 pages, respectively.

“The BMC is distributing notebooks after much delay. Even then, the notebooks have fewer pages than mentioned. This is nothing but theft of public money,” Raut alleged.

According to the education committee member, the BMC had issued a tender worth ₹21.18 crore for supplying notebooks to students in civic schools. As per the tender, students in class 7 were supposed to receive seven 196-page notebooks, three 96-page notebooks and one notebook each comprising 40 and 32 pages. Cumulatively, the notebooks were supposed to contain 1,780 pages, at a cost of 17 paise per page.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator blamed the contractor for the alleged shortfall and demanded that a penalty be imposed to recover the losses.

Pednekar also criticised the civic administration over the issue and demanded a detailed inquiry. “Those in power are busy with self-appreciation and are not concerned about students’ problems. This year, the BMC has delayed the distribution of all 27 items meant for students. A detailed inquiry should be conducted into the notebook issue,” she said.

The civic body had planned to distribute 27 items including uniforms, notebooks, and umbrellas among school students by July 31 this year, but several items remain pending. Earlier, the contractor engaged to supply umbrellas to students had claimed that the war in West Asia was causing delays. The BMC subsequently cancelled the tender and decided to procure umbrellas through the Central government’s Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal.

A senior BMC official said the administration would examine the allegations regarding the shortfall in notebook pages and verify the facts before taking further action.