After getting fresh assurances from Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg to sort out the issue of fee hike by schools, protests by members of NGO Hindu-Sikh Jagriti Sena were called off on Friday.

The Hindu-Sikh Jagriti Sena had restarted its protest against schools yesterday by holding a dharna in front of Kundan Vidya Mandir. A motorcycle rally was held to register their discontent.

President of the NGO, Parveen Dang, said, “Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Kuldeep Singh has assured us on behalf of the deputy commissioner that the issue of fee hike by schools will be solved soon after the elections. We have postponed our protest till then. We hope the district administration will do the needful in this regard.”

Confirming the report, DC Vikas Garg said, “At present, I am busy in the election process. I will sort out the issue of fee hike by schools after the elections.”

Meanwhile, the parents of students rued that the schools have violated the CBSE norms.

Requesting anonymity, a group of parents said, “The school did not take our consent when it was increasing the fees. They just sent us a circular informing us about the hiked fee along with the final examination date-sheet. We have now pinned up our hopes on the district administration to get justice in the matter.”

On April 21, Kuldeep Singh ADC (G) handed over the fee hike report to DC Vikas Garg stating that the schools have violated the CBSE rules by not taking parents of wards into confidence while implementing their decision to increase the fees.

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