The Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has approved a proposal to take over 51 schools run by the Raigad Zilla Parishad (RZP), committing about Rs 22.8 crore in a move that will transfer responsibility for the schools, enrolled children, teachers and staff to the civic body after the remaining formalities are completed.
The school plots and structures covered by the proposal have been collectively valued at Rs 55 crore. The amount payable by PCMC has been finalised after adjustments of about Rs 22 crore towards stamp duty receivables and Rs 10.42 crore spent on the schools. The exact amount may change after the final evaluation and validation process.
The takeover has been under consideration for several years. The PCMC general body passed a resolution in February 2021 to take over the RZP schools and a plot in Koynavele. In 2022, a committee headed by the RZP additional chief engineer was formed to assess the value of the properties involved.
The committee’s valuation exercise covered not only schools but also anganwadis, gram panchayat buildings, community halls, health sub-centres and a fish market. For the current proposal, the school properties are being transferred as part of an arrangement intended to settle the long-standing dispute between the two government agencies over their management and ownership.
PCMC has made a provision of Rs 40 crore in its 2026-27 budget for taking over the RZP schools. This allocation is higher than the currently estimated payment of Rs 22.8 crore, leaving room for the amount to be revised after the final assessment and related charges are determined.
Before the transaction is completed, the resolutions passed by the RZP and the relevant documents will be validated by the joint director of town planning for the Konkan division. The final payment will be decided after the divisional town planning department submits its report.
Once the formalities are completed, PCMC will assume responsibility for managing the education of children enrolled in the 51 schools. It will also take over responsibility for the teachers and other staff members attached to the institutions. The decision therefore involves more than a transfer of land and buildings: it will shift day-to-day administrative responsibility for school operations between two public authorities.
The general body’s approval gives the takeover a formal green signal, but the final valuation, document validation and payment remain pending steps. The divisional town planning department’s report will determine the final amount to be paid before the transfer is completed.
