Pratap Bhogilal Journey Through Life

Author(s): Rauf Ahmed
Publisher: Bhupendra Singh Anand

Page 82

76 | PRATAP BHOGILAL - JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE
of intense investigation and interviewing all the principals, matrons, coordinators, supervisors, mess in charge, maintenance people, students - both boys and girls, administrator, resident trustees etc., I made a number of recommendations for improving the functioning of the School and I am happy to state that the Board of Trustees of Sanjeewan Vidyalaya have accepted my recommendations and agreed to implement the same. Unfortunately the Trustees who had approached me and the Chairman who had agreed to my looking into school affairs did not like my report and they ultimately resigned.
Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya
The brain child of our great forward looking Acharya Shri Vijay Vallabh Suriji, it has now about 11 hostels - 7 for boys and 4 for girls. My association with Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya (MJV) started in 1980 when I was appointed a Trustee in the vacancy caused by my father's sad demise in end November 1979. I believe at its first meeting that I attended, the proposal for confirmation of sale of the land at Pune where MJV had a boy's hostel - over 2 acres of surplus land. The sale price was Rs.18 Lacs I opposed the sale and the then Hon. Secretary Mr. J. R. Shah then went back to the purchaser and asked him to raise the price - once to Rs. 20 Lacs and again to Rs. 32 Lacs. I still opposed and I said the land shall not be sold. I asked who the purchaser was and when I got the name, I called Mr. Chandrakant Shah, a builder and the purchaser and told him that land will not be sold and he should agree to cancellation. I could ask him since I had earlier sold to him part of our Andheri property. He said that this cannot be done as he had already given about Rs.7 Lacs to the authorities as grease money to obtain the NOC.I said MJV or I will pay the amount to him but he must cancel. He cancelled the contract and now, believe the land is worth around Rs. 350 crores.
Later on I thought that there was no transparency in the transfer of tenancy rights of tenants in Devkaran Mansion at Princess Street and I, along with some other members decided to fight the ensuing election for the Managing Committee who appoints the Office Bearers. It would not have been possible unless the election rules were changed. As such,
Doing it the hard way is always easier in the long run.- Murphy's Law