Telangana Deputy CM Orders Payment Of Pending Rent For Residential Schools Amid Protests

Telangana BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar acknowledged that around 70% of these institutions are run from rented buildings and that rent arrears extend beyond the last 10 months.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has directed officials to clear pending rents for rented buildings housing residential schools across the state. This decision comes after several property owners locked the premises of these institutions in protest over non-payment of rent for the past 10 months.

During a meeting with the chairpersons of government-run societies responsible for managing residential schools for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, and Minorities, the Deputy Chief Minister took serious note of the issue. The protest intensified after property owners displayed banners on locked gates, expressing frustration over the lack of government response to their notices regarding unpaid rent arrears, as per IANS.

One banner read, "Since there has been no response from the government, we are left with no option but to lock the buildings. We will unlock the doors only after payment of rent." The owners also appealed to the public to understand their situation.

Minister for Backward Classes Welfare Ponnam Prabhakar also addressed the issue, directing district collectors to take legal action against those locking the gates of residential schools. He acknowledged that around 70% of these institutions are run from rented buildings and that rent arrears extend beyond the last 10 months.

Prabhakar suggested that certain "vested interests" might be influencing the owners to disrupt the functioning of these schools. He urged owners to refrain from provocative actions and assured them that funds for the pending rents would be released within a day or two.

In one case, a school owner in Vemulawada town, Rajanna Sircilla district, had locked the premises over unpaid rent amounting to Rs 14.80 lakh for eight months. The owner unlocked the building after receiving assurances from the government that the arrears would be cleared soon.

The situation has brought attention to the financial strain faced by the state's residential schools, and the government has promised swift action to prevent further disruptions.