Appoint Tamil knowing persons as securities in govt schools: HC

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the School Education department to consider making knowledge of Tamil or the local language of the area in which the school is located as mandatory for all those to be employed while appointing private firms for maintenance, security and cleanliness work in government schools.

During the hearing of the appeal petition filed by Quality Property Management Service Private Limited, the first division bench comprising acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy set aside the single judge's order and quashed the tender notification.

The bench also directed the appropriate Tender Floating Committee to apply its mind and appropriately frame the conditions taking into account all the materials, including the criteria adopted by the other departments in the best interests of the work which is to be done and invite fresh tenders in accordance with law.

For the first time, the School Education Department is inviting tenders to provide housekeeping, sanitation and security services in all the schools run under the department and tenders have been invited in this regard with the criteria of the bidders should operate in an area of 25 lakh square feet with the annual turnover of Rs 50 crore in the last three years and with atleast 5,000 employees.

Objecting this, the Quality Property Management Service Private Limited moved the Madras High Court and it was dismissed by the single judge.

When the appeal petition came up for hearing before the first division bench, the Additional Advocate General J Ravindran submitted that by virtue of the pre-bid meeting, the conditions have been diluted and the quantity of square feet required had been reduced from 25 lakh sq ft to 10 lakh sq ft and similarly, the turn over of Rs 50 crore had been reduced to Rs 30 crore and the experience of having 5,000 personnel has been reduced to 3,000 personnel.

Refusing to accept the explanation made by the AAG, the court questioned why the criteria in the tender notification has changed now and the School Education department has not given any reason why it has been amended.