In an order issued on Saturday, the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Suhas L Y said that educational institutions across Noida and Greater Noida cannot force parents of any student for the payment of fees during the lockdown period imposed to contain the novel Coronavirus. The order also stated that students cannot be barred from attending online classes either.
According to the order, the violators of this order will fetch a legal action which could result in a maximum of 1 year jail-term of a stringent fine or both.
Sudhas had stated that, “COVID-19 has already been declared a disaster in Uttar Pradesh, while a complete lockdown is in place to fight the pandemic across the state and the country till April 14. In such a situation, all educational institutions in Gautam Buddh Nagar are directed not to force parents of any student for fees during the lockdown period, nor bar students from online classes,”.
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The order states, “Any violation of the order will invite legal action under provisions of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005 which includes a one-year jail term or fine or both. And if there is any loss of life or property during the violation, the jail term can extend up to two years,”.
All the schools and colleges across the district were shut down in March following the outbreak of COVID-19, and according to officials, Gautam Buddh Nagar, alone, has reported 58 cases of Coronavirus infection.
Prime Minister, during his address to the nation, announced a 21 day lockdown across India until the 14th of April to combat the spread of the novel Coronavirus which has been praised by many nations and the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well.
As of 6th April 2020 morning, the number of cases reported for Coronavirus are now close to 13 lakh out of which over 69,000 globally. Talking about India, cases of COVID-19 have crossed 4,300 while 118 out of them have lost their lives.
