The Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has approved a proposal to take over 51 schools operated by the Raigad Zilla Parishad (RZP), setting aside about Rs 22.8 crore for the transfer and bringing the schools’ education administration under the civic body.
The school plots and structures are collectively valued at about Rs 55 crore. The approved amount has been calculated after adjustments involving approximately Rs 22 crore in stamp duty receivables and Rs 10.42 crore spent on the schools. The final payment may change after the properties are evaluated and the required approvals are completed.
PCMC’s general body had passed a resolution in February 2021 to take over the RZP schools and a plot at Koynavele. A committee headed by the additional chief engineer of the RZP was formed in 2022 to assess the value of the properties involved in the proposed transfer.
The valuation exercise covered more than school assets. It also examined anganwadis, gram panchayat buildings, community halls, health sub-centres and a fish market, according to the report. The wider assessment formed part of the process used to determine the financial adjustments between the two government agencies.
PCMC has made a provision of Rs 40 crore in its 2026-27 budget for taking over the RZP schools. The civic body will make the payment after the relevant documents and resolutions passed by the RZP are validated by the joint director of town planning for the Konkan division.
The divisional town planning department’s report will determine the final amount payable. Until that process is completed, the approved figure of Rs 22.8 crore remains subject to evaluation and formal validation.
Once the formalities are completed, PCMC will assume responsibility for the education of children enrolled in the schools. It will also take over the management of the teachers and other staff members working at the institutions. The approval marks the resolution of a long-standing dispute between the municipal corporation and the zilla parishad over control of the schools and their properties.
