May 7: The recent transfer of cases between employees and management of schools in South Mumbai to the newly created additional school tribunal at New Mumbai has angered teachers and advocates alike.

Following a government notification dated February 19, 1997, an additional school tribunal for Mumbai was set up near Belapur for deciding matters, including pending, regarding schools in South Mumbai and Thane district.

Balakrishna Danke, a member of the Greater Mumbai Teachers Association and an advocate, failed to see any reason behind the transfer of cases of south Mumbai schools to Belapur tribunal, when already a tribunal is situated at Churchgate. Incidentally, matters of schools in north and west Mumbai also come under the jurisdiction of the tribunal at Churchgate. ``Whereas employees of south mumbai schools would have to rush to New Mumbai, those closer home to Belapur like employees from schools at Dahisar, Bhandup or Ghatkopar will still be attached to Mumbai tribunal,'' pointed out Danke.

However, Mantralaya sources insist that the new tribunal will reduce the burden from the lone tribunal at Churchgate. So the division of labour is on the basis of ``administrative convenience'', they argue. The relatively few number of cases involving south Mumbai schools, compared to north and western suburbs, can be balanced with cases from Thane district, the sources said.In any case, distance is hardly an issue in Mumbai, they felt. Suresh Upadhyay, secretary, Maharashtra Rajya Shikshak Parishad, dismissed the login behind the setting up of the new tribunal. ``As it is, redressal comes after several months and not within the statutory three months. Further, it takes several more months to get the final judgement at hand. This shifting of matters will further delay the disposal of cases,'' he felt.

The school tribunals were set up at Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad in July, 1981, to provide redressal within a short span of three months. The decisions of the tribunals are final and binding. The Mumbai tribunal initially had jurisdiction over districts of Mumbai and suburbs, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Nashik, Dhule and Jalgaon. Later in 1994, with the formation of a few more tribunals, the Mumbai tribunal was left with jurisdiction over the districts of Mumbai and suburbs only.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.