Schools to lose land if farmers’ wards ignored

The Noida authority has sent notices to 10 public schools of the city, asking them to provide information and confirm if they have been sticking to their commitment of providing education to poor children and wards of farmers whose land has been acquired for development purposes.

The Noida authority has sent notices to 10 public schools of the city, asking them to provide information and confirm if they have been sticking to their commitment of providing education to poor children and wards of farmers whose land has been acquired for development purposes.

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This is being seen as a move to address part of the growing discontent simmering because of land acquisition-related issues in urban villages of Noida.

The Noida chairman, Balvinder Kumar, has summoned the principals of these schools to his office on Tuesday. The authority has made it clear the land allotments of these institutions will be cancelled if they were found guilty of ignoring “sons of the soil”.

The Greater Noida authority on Saturday, while striking a deal with Patwari village, announced it would make sure all new schools would provide 10% reservation to wards of farmers whose land has been acquired. The Noida authority put in place a similar system long back, but it has not been adhered to in toto.

Three months ago, the Noida authority issued notices to ten schools over the same issue. The Authority, which provided land for setting up of schools in the city years ago almost free, has also sought details of admissions of the last five years.

Schools in Noida have signed an agreement with the development authority, promising to take care of the interests of poor children and wards of farmers who agreed to sell their land. Authority officials said no school could discriminate against on the basis of language or location.