7

“Rationalization”: Real objective#2?

Private sector growth in education can hardly be the driving force behind the enthusiasm with which the Indore Zila Sarkar is pursuing its “rationalization” process. What, then, is the more substantive hidden agenda behind this process? The answer lies in seemingly unrelated developments, notably the approval of IMC’s Cosmo Circle (pending for three years) that was forthcoming once schools that were coming in the way were closed! (Box-7)

Nine of the 29 schools that have been closed fall in the Cosmo Circle project area (Box-8). These include the Balmandir (with an enrollment of 280) and 8 of the 12 middle schools that have been closed (including 3 girls schools and 3 schools with more than 50 students).

It is noteworthy that no new middle schools are proposed for Indore. Only 12 middle schools are covered in the merger measures. Thus, as far as middle schools are concerned, the rationalization measures are limited to closing a disproportionately large number of schools (including girls’ schools) in a small area of the city, which happens to be where Cosmo Circle is proposed! This could hardly be a coincidence.

It is also noteworthy that one of only three pre-primary school facilities of the government has also been closed. This is even as the Education Department’s proposal of introducing pre-primary facilities in government schools in a bid to improve enrollment in them was also approved at the same meeting as the proposal of rationalization. The pre-primary school closed was well equipped and well attended, but happened to fall in the area needed for Cosmo Circle! This could hardly be a coincidence.

Besides these 9, there are others among the 29 that have been merged that suggest that the exercise of closing schools has less to do with rationalizing education and more to do with serving vested interests. For instance, Marathi PS no.20, Moti Tabela, which has 86 students, has been merged into one that has only 4, very likely because there is a scheme for a commercial complex on the premises.

Besides the 29 schools closed for merger now, other schools have been closed for other projects. For instance PS no.40 and PS no.78 in CP Shekhar Nagar have been closed and fall in the area for IDA’s riverfront development scheme no.142. The middle and primary schools in Niranjanpur fall in IDA’s scheme no.114. Primary schools nos.21, 63 and 123 in MOG lines were closed to make way for MPSHB residential flats.

It is also noteworthy that for 323 primary and middle schools there were only 150 school buildings – 51 of them in a dilapidated condition. Now 29 more school buildings – nearly all of them in fairly good condition – have been lost from this kitty in the name of rationalization. They just happened to be on land needed for other, more lucrative, purposes! Moreover the 103 new schools have been set up in community halls which are inadequate to house school functions. But they are on land not needed for more lucrative purposes!

Any doubts that all this might be coincidental are removed by the collector’s remarks that “after the merger of some schools land will become available and possibilities of generating resources for education will emerge” and that they “will be free from puritanical objections against commercial development in schools”. (Chautha Sansar, June 2, see Box-9).

Box-7: Cosmo Circle

Cosmo Circle is IMC’s ambitious proposal for a 21st century commercial-cum-administrative complex that “will put Indore on the list of the most advanced cities of India”. Spread over an area of 3.11 Ha around the present location of IMC offices, the proposal consists of a 10-storied structure for offices placed in the middle of a vast shopping plaza. The office building is accessed by a fly-over through a landscaped porch and has an atrium in the middle with provision for an art gallery. The shopping plaza blends the needs of today (roadside shopping and hawkers) with those of tomorrow (showrooms and underground air-conditioned shopping arcades). The complex is meant to be a visual delight for citizens and will offer users a view of Krishnapura Lake. The scheme envisages development of 27400 square meters (including 21400 built up area) for administrative offices and 33000 square meters (including 20150 built up area) for shops and showrooms. The estimated cost of the scheme is Rs.76 crores (including 18 crores for land, 13 crores for land development and 45 crore for construction). The total anticipated revenue from sale of commercial and office space is 106 crores (including 60 crores from 625 shops @ 48000 per sqm, 24 crores from 75 showrooms @ 32500 per sqm, 1 crore from 165 hawkers’ shops @ 34500 per sq.m and 21 crores from 15 offices @ 19000 per sqm). Besides this 20.54 crores worth of office space and parking returning 9 lakhs per year is reserved for IMC. The scheme was prepared by IMC in 1996 and HUDCO approved a loan for it in 1998. Earlier this year the Mayor and councilors had discussed the matter with the Chief Minister who had assured them of expeditious state government approvals (Chautha Sansar, May 14). On July 27 newspapers reported the MP Urban Administration and Development Department’s decision to accord the scheme administrative approval. On September 18 they reported IMC’s plans to shift to Palika Plaza so that work on Cosmo Circle could commence. On October 14 newspapers reported state government’s administrative approval for the Cosmo Circle scheme.

Box-8: Schools closed on account of Cosmo Circle (rather than rational “rationalization”)

School closed and merged (Students) / School into which merged (Students)

1. Bal Mandir PS no.1M, MG Road (280) / PS no.121, Nagar Nigam Road (186)
2. Marathi MS no.26, M.G.Road (na) / Marathi MS no.16 (na)
3. Girls MS no.1, Nagar Nigam Road (65) / ditto
4. Girls MS no.7, MG road (32) / Girls MS no.12, Nagar Nigam Rd (82)
5. Girls MS no.14, MG Road (55) / Girls MS no.6 (78)
6. MS no.26, MG Road (50) / ditto
7. MS no.29, Nagar Nigam Road (44) / MS no.24, MG Road (138)
8. MS no.30, Nagar Nigam Road (21) / ditto
9. MS no.16, MG Road (35) / MS no.1, MG Road (61)