RCB issues final notices to private schools to relocate from residential areas

Rawalpindi: Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has issued final notices to the owners of all private schools and colleges located in residential areas to vacate their buildings before end of 2021.

According to a RCB spokesman, the move was in line with the Supreme Court’s order, according to which all private schools and colleges were supposed to shift their establishments out of residential areas.

Final notice had been issued to shift out of cantt areas by the end of December else strict action in accordance with the law would be taken against the violators and their buildings would be sealed without any discrimination, he added.

The owners of all private schools and colleges were warned of strict action on non-compliance of the order, he added. He informed that RCB had also displayed the banners at prominent places in cantt areas to aware the public, parents, principals of educational institutions and the owners to shift private schools and colleges out of residential areas before the deadline. He said that the institutions were earlier issued several notices to shift the buildings from the cantonment areas by December end 2021 so that the academic year of the students could be saved.

He said that final notices had been issued and now no other notice would be issued to any owner and the court order would be implemented in letter and spirit. In 2018, the cantonment board had declared private schools and colleges in residential areas of Cantt illegal and notices were issued to all establishments to move buildings to commercial areas. The school owners had moved to the Supreme Court against the move and acquired a stay order. The top court had barred the board from taking any action against these schools and colleges for three years. The deadline is ending by the end of this year.