Rawalpindi Issues Notices to Over 3,000 Private Schools Over Commercial Building Plans

The Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation and the Civil Defence Department have issued notices to more than 3,000 private schools across the district, directing them to obtain commercial building plans rather than relying on building fitness inspections carried out in the name of safety checks, according to local reports.

The Civil Defence Department has also begun imposing fines exceeding Rs100,000 on individual schools for lacking commercial building plans, a step that critics say has shifted the focus away from the original purpose of fitness inspections. The development has prompted strong opposition from the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (APPSMA).

A delegation led by APPSMA President Abrar Ahmed Khan met Additional Deputy Commissioner Social Services Fazail Mudassar and presented the notices issued by the Municipal Corporation and Civil Defence. During the meeting, the delegation raised serious concerns over the notices sent to private educational institutions and what it described as the collection of hefty fees for issuing fitness certificates.

The association urged the administration to review the conduct of the relevant staff and to hold an inquiry into the legal provisions, rules or authorisations under which large sums are being demanded for fitness certificates. The Additional Deputy Commissioner reportedly listened to the concerns and assured the delegation that the matter would be examined.

Khan said the purpose of teams formed to inspect the building safety of private educational institutions was to examine structural conditions and safety arrangements so that students and teachers could have a secure learning environment. However, he said, demands for commercial building plans by the Tehsil Municipal Administration and the high fees allegedly sought by Civil Defence staff for fitness certificates were creating unnecessary financial burdens and concerns for private schools.

He argued that building safety inspections should not become a means for different departments to impose additional financial demands and initiate unnecessary proceedings. Where an institution lacks adequate safety arrangements, he said, the shortcomings should be identified and the administration should offer guidance and reasonable time to fix them in line with the law rather than pressuring schools through unclear fees and notices.

The association has called on the Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi to take immediate notice of the matter, issue clear instructions to the relevant departments, prevent unauthorised collections and stop what it describes as unjustified pressure on private educational institutions.