Fee hike panel to get office in Civil Lines, start work from Monday

A three-member committee appointed by the Delhi high court four months ago to probe the justifiability of the steep fee hike by Capital’s private school in 2009 is yet to start its job.

A three-member committee appointed by the Delhi high court four months ago to probe the justifiability of the steep fee hike by Capital’s private school in 2009 is yet to start its job. This is because the Delhi government has not yet provided the panel with an office, staff and infrastructure.

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But in an order kindling hope in the minds of aggrieved parents, the court on Friday directed the government to provide the panel a temporary office in Civil Lines. The panel will start functioning from December 26.

The order came after the government said renovation work at the permanent office planned in Vasant Vihar will take another two months.

During the last hearing on November 19, the court had slammed the government for not providing facilities to the panel.

Holding that the government had no right to issue a blanket notification permitting schools to hike fee, the court had in its judgment on August 12, 2011, said financial health of each school should have been the criteria. CAG had indicted 25 elite schools in Delhi for irregularities in the way they had hiked fees.

The court has taken upon itself the task of fixing fee by appointing the panel headed by former chief justice of Rajasthan HC Anil Dev Singh. It is to look into the validity of 25% fee hike by schools in 2009, on the basis of the government notification by examining records, accounts and also considering the fund available with each school.