Minister Warns Legal Action On Owners Locking Up Gurukul Schools

Minister for Transport and BC Welfare Ponnam Prabhakar today issued directives to district Collectors to initiate criminal cases against those who had locked up gurukul school buildings due to unpaid rents.

All educational institutions including Gurukul sschools are reopening across Telangana after the conclusion of the Dasara holidays, but several gurukul school building owners have locked up the buildings and are refusing to open them, over non-payment of rents for several months now.

Addressing the issue, the minister said that 70% of the Gurukul schools were currently operating from rented buildings, and that the rents had not been pending for the past 10 months but accumulating over several years. He said that the State government was committed to settling the dues, and that any provocations would not be in anyone's best interest. The process to clear outstanding dues was ongoing, and steps had already been taken to resolve building-related issues in meetings with higher authorities, he claimed.

"The property owners should note that efforts are underway to release these funds. As the gurukul minister, I urge the property owners not to resort to disruptive actions and to immediately remove any protest banners and ensure that classes for students continue smoothly. Should any further disruptions occur, the government will take stringent actions. The State government is readying to clear the outstanding rent dues as early as possible, and anyone with grievances regarding the pending amounts can approach me, the relevant officials or the Chief Minister directly," he said.

He said that mess charges, along with older dues, had already been cleared three days back. He also said that the government was conducting a thorough review of all gurukul institutions and working towards resolving issues.