Four years ago, Pune Municipal Corporation’s education board unveiled a school for mentally challenged kids at Shivajinagar, terming it an ambitious project. Since then, the civic body has not been stingy in allocating funds — the previous budget of Rs 20 lakh is likely to be raised to Rs 40 lakh this year.

However, the money has failed to produce satisfactory results. As MiD DAY discovered during an impromptu visit, the number of students has come down, and those remaining are yet to have access to basic amenities like uniforms, desks and transportation.