Pune: Tensions flared on Wednesday as representatives from approximately 30 to 40 private educational institutes in Pune, operating schools and colleges, protested at Mahatma Phule Wada in Ganj Peth. The protest was triggered by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) serving notices and sealing some offices over unpaid property tax dues.
The educational institutes collectively owed amounts ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore in property tax dues. In response to the closures, the representatives called for PMC to reopen their offices and provide options for paying the dues in instalments.
Civic officials defended the PMC’s actions, stating that the institutes had been issued multiple reminders and granted a grace period. A PMC official emphasized, “They have been given several notices before we sealed their offices. Arrears have been pending for several years.”
Leading the agitation was Sanjay Balgude, the head of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. Balgude pointed out the disruption caused to the functioning of educational institutes and urged PMC to offer payment options while acknowledging the importance of tax payments.
The protesting representatives highlighted that their institutes played a vital role in imparting education to marginalized sections of society, urging the PMC to take this into consideration. Balasaheb Shirsat, representing the protesting group, argued that the PMC’s actions seemed discriminatory, as other commercial establishments like marriage halls, public halls, private offices, and commercial spaces that also had outstanding dues were not subjected to office closures.
