Telangana Pledges to Settle Pending Rents After Residential Schools Locked by Owners

Hyderabad: Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka took swift action on Tuesday by instructing officials to clear outstanding rent payments to building owners housing state-run residential schools. This decision follows incidents where several property owners locked the premises of these schools due to unpaid rent arrears.

The directive came during a meeting with chairpersons of government-run educational societies responsible for schools catering to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, and Minorities. Owners of rented school buildings, frustrated by the lack of rent payments for over 10 months, resorted to locking the institutions, which caused disruption to the educational operations.

Banners placed on the locked premises emphasized the owners’ frustration: “We have no choice but to lock the buildings due to non-payment of rent. The government’s inaction forced us to take this step.” The owners stated that they would only reopen the buildings once the pending rents were settled.

In response, Minister for Backward Classes Welfare, Ponnam Prabhakar, took a firm stance, instructing district collectors to file criminal cases against those who locked the schools. He emphasized that 70% of these residential schools operate in rented properties, and the rent backlog has been an issue for an extended period, not just the last 10 months.

The minister also claimed that some vested interests might be behind the school closures and urged owners not to be swayed by such influences. Despite the tension, the government assured that funds would be released within the next few days, and warned against further provocative actions.

In specific cases, such as in Vemulawada town in Rajanna Sircilla district, one building owner, owed ₹14.80 lakh in rent for eight months, relented and unlocked the premises after receiving assurance of payment. Meanwhile, in Huzurnagar, Suryapet, and Jayashankar Bhupalpally districts, similar rent disputes have led to school closures, leaving students and teachers stranded outside locked buildings.