Maha deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis flags growing eco-system of paan shops, cafeterias, and anti-social elements near schools

Maharashtra state deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis flagged a growing ecosystem of paan shops, cafeterias and the presence of anti-social elements near schools and said remedial measures are being taken.

Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio, was responding to a calling attention motion moved by some BJP MLCs in the Legislative Council against the backdrop of the alleged sexual attack on a girl student in a civic-run school in Mumbai.

Secretaries of the department of Home and the Department of Education would meet to chalk out a plan to inspect the growing ecosystem of paan shops, cafeterias and the presence of anti-social elements near schools in the state, Fadnavis stated in a written reply.

Among other measures, he reiterated the use of mobile phones is prohibited on the premises of schools and the respective management has been instructed.

A teenage girl student was sexually assaulted in the classroom by two students of class 8 in a civic-run school in Matunga in the first week of December. Similarly, a nine-year-old girl was raped and her body thrown near Kalyan railway station, MLC Uma Khapre said.

Khapre said the use of mobile phones is on the rise among teenagers. These teenagers are accessing obscene videos on the Internet through mobile phones. As a result, they are getting attracted to violence and revenge,” she said and demanded the constitution of a task force to protect school-going girl students.

Fadnavis also informed about measures being taken by the state government which include equipping cyber laboratories with the latest technology to effectively investigate cyber-related complaints.

A Cyber Intelligence Unit has been proposed to deal with cyber crimes. Activities like ‘Police Didi’ are being implemented in the state to educate the teenagers about good touch and bad touch, he stated. Obscene texts and videos are being blocked on the internet by the Union government.