Mumbai: No Diwali for us, say teachers and staffers of Dongri school

OfficeGoers have been receiving bonuses and gifts ahead of Diwali but the staff of the Habib Esmail Education Trust school in Dongri has not been paid their dues for over two months The matter came to light after Bodhi Atul Darastekar the BMCappointed school incharge of the primary section and some staff members approached the Dongri police station on WednesdayDarastekar also alleged that the schoolrsquos chairman Javed Shroff does not allow the staff to go home until midnight and keeps them engaged in nonteaching work almost every day till 2 to 3 pmldquoWe have been working round the clock in exchange for no salary for over two months Everybody is in a festive mood but we have not been paid our salary The teaching staff has children at home but their bank accounts are empty This is a hopeless Diwali for usrdquo she told middayldquoThe staff including peons had taken loans on the basis of this job Itrsquos very difficult to repay them and run our houses We canrsquot even think of celebrating the festivalrdquo she addedAlso Read Mumbai HC quashes case against 10yearold boy who accidentally crashed bicycle into an old womanA teacher requesting anonymity said ldquoWe have been demanding our salary for some time but the chairman is tightlipped How will we celebrate Diwali Our children are also demanding clothes and firecrackers but we are unable to provide them We are not even able to buy sweets This is a black Diwali for usrdquoHer colleague said ldquoWe also took loans and our EMIs are pending due to nonpayment of our salary This is a festival of happiness and lights but in our life there is darkness due to the chairmanrdquoThe infrastructure of the school including the classrooms are also in a dilapidated condition alleged DarastekarShroff is an influential local politician said the incharge of the school which is attended by 1000 students She added ldquoAround 60 staffers have been appointed by the BMC to work in this school but its management didnrsquot submit the pay sheet to the BMC to release our salaryrdquoBodhi Atul Darastekar with a copy of the police complaint filed on WednesdayldquoI have submitted my complaint to Dongri police station against the school chairman as he has been mentally harassing me besides verbally abusing me and other staff members It is not possible to keep women employees engaged in nonteaching work till midnight or predawn hours in the name of meetings He Shroff walks into the school around 9 pm or 10 pm and then calls us for meetings This has become a regular practicerdquo she allegedRecently the BMC education department also sent a letter to the schoolThe letter dated October 17 read ldquoSchool management did not submit the October pay sheet of the staff nor give a written explanation as to why they failed to submit it Due to this reason the BMC education department has not issued salaries to the staff The school and its management will be responsible for thisrdquo When midday visited the school on Friday it was indeed found to be completely rundownA parent said ldquoOur children are not able to go to the toilet at school because it stinks and is filthy We also complained to the school management many times that our children could not urinate for the entire day due to the state of the toiletrdquoParents also complained that the classrooms of students up to Std IV have been shifted to the fifth floor and young children have to climb all the way up for classes BMC Education Officer Raju Tadvi said the civic body had received complaints from the schoolrsquos teachers ldquoThey will get their salaries very soon Our team is working on this issue This is a BMCaided school and we are issuing salaries to the teachers and the staff Our inspectors will look into the matter of the school incharge allegedly being harassed by the chairman If found to be true we will take the strictest actionrdquoSenior Inspector Shabana Shaikh of the Dongri police station said ldquoWe received a complaint from school teachers and incharge Bodhi Darastekar of harassment by the chairman We have started an investigation and once it is completed we will take the appropriate actionrdquoShroff termed the allegations ldquobaseless and bogusrdquo ldquoShe Darastekar is making false allegations since the education department has asked the management to take action against her for misbehaving with Vinod Kadam education superintendent MCGM Parents have also complained about her manhandling children An inquiry is ongoing against her over various complaints She has joined a political party and is misquoting threatening and boasting of her proximity with Supriya SulerdquoHe added ldquoRecently she threatened the seniormost teacher Mrs Nanjiani and peon Ms Ruksana Both of them have approached the Dongri police in this regard Due to the aforesaid complaints against her she is making false allegations to pressurise the trustrdquoShroff said that the meeting she referred to was an official school committee meeting which is attended by all heads of department of various institutions under the trust ldquoAs per the convenience of all heads this meeting is held after school hoursrdquo he said19Day in October when the schoolrsquos teachers filed a police complaint