Juniors don't listen to me, please help!

Divisional social welfare officer writes to state authorities after junior officers ignore orders to take action against private colleges illegally collecting fees from students

Divisional social welfare officer writes to state authorities after junior officers ignore orders to take action against private colleges illegally collecting fees from students

Funny though it may sound, it is true. When students approached the social welfare department in the city to protest against the inaction of authorities against private colleges violating a government directive on fees, they were met with this unusual request: "Please make enough noise."


In a bind: Divisional Social Welfare Officer S B Bhandare meets
backward class students last week. The official is complaining that his
juniors are ignoring his orders. Pic/Jignesh Mistry

The reason is the department is caught in a strange situation where juniors are allegedly not obeying orders issued by the divisional social welfare officer to take suitable action.

For the past month-and-half, students from the backward classes have been making regular rounds of the social welfare department complaining that private colleges were collecting fees from them or making them sign bonds saying they will pay up. The fee collection was happening in spite of the fact that the state government through a GR has made it clear that no student belonging to the SC, ST, NT or OBC categories will be made to pay fees as the government will be paying it to the colleges.

Last week, MiD DAY contacted S B Bhandare, the divisional social welfare officer, and he said he had directed his junior officer or special district welfare officer to take necessary action. But on April 30, Bhandare sent off a letter to the state director of the social welfare department stating that despite repeated reminders, his juniors refused to take action.

The letter, a copy of which is available with MiD DAY, states that on March 14, 2011, Bhandare had given written instructions to file criminal complaints against colleges that were charging fees from backward students. These instructions were repeated on April 25 after it was noticed that the officer concerned was reluctant to take action.

"There are clear cut laws in this regard and I had instructed the officer citing the relevant sections of the law. Yet, he didn't take action and has written to the state department for guidance on this subject," said Bhandare. "And that's why I have written to higher authorities to make him understand the law and act on it."