The Calcutta High Court today directed the state government to shift the Central-state forces from all the schools of West Midnapore before December 30 .
Rejecting the state government’s request for a three-month time to shift the forces, a Division Bench of acting Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice Prasenjit Mondal said schools could not be used for other purposes.
After hearing a petition filed by West Midnapore Bhumijya Kalyan Samity, a social organisation, the Division Bench also directed the state to resume the midday meal schemes in those schools, which were vacated recently.
The arrears for electricity bills of those schools for accommodating the security forces would be borne by the state government, the Bench said.
Justifying the government move Advocate General of the state Bolai Roy, meanwhile, pleaded that the government had occupied 21 schools and one college from June to September at Binpur, Lalgarh, Salboni, Goaltore blocks in different phases to accommodate the Central-state joint forces.
At present, the district administration of West Midnapore have vacated 10 educational institutions, including one college. Security forces would be shifted from two schools by December 2, said Roy.
Roy said the district administration had occupied 22 educational institutions to accommodate 4,100 security personnel to carry out the Central-state joint operation against Maoists. More than 2,800 securitymen have already been shifted to 56 location like camps or other premises.
–Agencies