BBMP halts move to push pre-schools out of Bengaluru’s residential areas

BBMP Mayor G Padmavathi will now form a committee to decide which commercial establishments in residential areas should be shut down.
BBMP halts move to push pre-schools out of Bengaluru’s residential areas
BBMP halts move to push pre-schools out of Bengaluru’s residential areas
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Facing pressure from parents and pre-school associations, the BBMP has halted its push to relocate pre-schools to commercial areas in Bengaluru, a week after it began.

The Bengaluru civic body has stopped issuing notices to pre-school owners asking them to cease operations in residential areas. In the past week, the BBMP had sent notices to over 4,000 such establishments.

 According to The Hindu, the BBMP Mayor G Padmavathi will instead form a committee comprising of elected representatives and BBMP officials to decide which commercial establishments running in residential areas should be sent notices.  

“The BBMP is thinking of liberalising the setup of primary schools in residential areas. We are still discussing the norms under which such pre-schools can operate. The decision should be made in four to five days,” BBMP PRO Sivasaranappa told The News Minute.

The notices issued last week had read, “Setting up your establishment is illegal. If you do not shut down operations and vacate the premises within three days, legal action will be taken."

A BBMP official had then told TNM that the move was undertaken following complaints of nuisance against pre-schools by various neighbourhood residents, and because running a pre-school out of a residence is illegal.

However, pre-school owners had countered that it was important for pre-schools to be in residential areas, as this helped assure the safety and security of children. “Although the BBMP is ok with banks and barber shops operating from here, why are we the only ones who need to close ‘shop’ in three days’ time?” the owner of a pre-school in South Bengaluru had asked.

What also irked pre-school owners was that the notices to vacate had come just three months after the pre-schools had registered themselves with the authorities. Pruthvi Banwasi, Secretary of the Karnataka Council of Preschools, had pointed out that the notices had come soon after the registration process, which had involved multiple regulations concerning  premises, safety, location and other aspects.

Upon receiving notices, the owners of the pre-schools in the umbrella of three bodies— Indian Montessori Centre, Federation of Montessori Schools India and Karnataka Council of Pre-Schools had dispatched petitions to the authorities asking for pre-schools to be reclassified as civic amenities.

An online petition against the move also attracted more than 1500 supporters.

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