Members of the Pre-school Association of Gujarat, Ahmedabad Chapter held a silent protest against the Amdavad Municipal Corporation move to seal more than 300 pre-schools in the city. The PAG demanded that pre-schools should be brought under the Women and Child Development Department like Anganwadi, and the civic bodies should focus on getting structural stability reports rather than seeking Building Use permission from the pre-schools.
The association members said that they have been asked to get educational BU for the pre-schools. “The government has emphasized that changing the Building Use (BU] designation to ‘Education’ is essential for ensuring safety. However, PAG believes that safety concerns can be effectively addressed through the issuance of a Structural Stability Certificate, regardless of whether the BU is issued for commercial or residential use,” A PAG member stated.
It is on Monday night that new guidelines for the pre-schools have been announced by the state government. The protesting members also said that despite lack of clear guidelines, the government has given only one month’s timeframe to obtain fire NoC, and three months to get BU changed for educational use.