Srinagar, Oct 11: Believe it! The annual rent paid by Valley’s prestigious missionary schools for using the state land at prime locations in the summer capital is 30 times less than the admission fee charged by them from a single student.
 These  revelations came to fore in Legislative Council on Friday in response to the  un-starred query posed by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Muhammad Ashraf Mir.
 Pertinently, the successive regimes of the state have leased out the land to missionary schools under J&K Land Grants Act at meager rates since 50's.
 In its reply, the state government today disclosed that the annual ground rent paid by the Burn Hall School for the 32 kanals of land leased out to them in Sonawar area of the city is just Rs 3240. Not only this, the lease of the land has expired on 18.12.09 and according to the government reply, the process for extension of the lease is under process.
 Same is the story of Presentation Convent Girls Higher Secondary School Rajbagh. The School is paying a rent of just Rs 12000 per annum for around 90 kanals of land and the lease of the said land is set to expire on 30.10.2017.
 The information furnished by the Government reveals that ground rent of the 85 kanals of land in prime Lal Chowk area under Biscoe School is only Rs 1250 per annum. The institution has failed to pay even this meager rent for last 36 years.
 The reply states that there is an outstanding ground rent of Rs 18 lakh against the institution on account of the rent from 14.03.1975 to14.03.2011.
 The lease of the land under the school would expire on 14.03.2015.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 11 Oct 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:00:00 IST