By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Nainital, 9 Jul: In a decisive administrative move, seventeen unregistered madrasas operating in Ramnagar, popularly known as Corbett City, have been sealed by the authorities following a fresh survey conducted recently. While an earlier inspection conducted a year ago had identified and closed eight unauthorised madrasas in and around Ramnagar, a subsequent complaint registered on the Chief Minister’s portal resulted in a re-survey that uncovered nine additional madrasas running without requisite approvals.
District Magistrate Vandana Singh has confirmed that the total number of sealed establishments now stands at seventeen, comprising eight from the initial survey and nine identified in the latest assessment. The madrasas sealed in Ramnagar sub-district include Madrasa Anbar Ul Quran, Madrasa Gulshan Noori Masjid, Madrasa Nasir Ul Uloom, Madrasa Islamia Arabiya, Madrasa Gulshan E Baghdad, Madrasa Darul Uloom Gulshan Raza, Madrasa Mufti Azam E Hind, Madrasa Imam Ahmad Raza, Madrasa Faizane Raza Aariyali, Madrasa Darul Uloom Bistiya Manihar, Madrasa Darul Raza Uloom Chapparwal, Madrasa Banatul Uloom Khatadi, Madrasa Gulshan Aziziyah, Madrasa Faizani Aala Hazrat Chand Miyan, Madrasa Tul Madina Hussain, Madrasa Arabiya Shifa Uloom and Madrasa Miftul Uloom.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Pramod Kumaran shared with the media that prior instructions had been issued to all such institutions to furnish recognition documents and other requisite paperwork in accordance with government norms. However, the failure to comply within the given timeframe has led to their closure. Kumaran urged the parents to enrol their children in registered schools or government-run institutions, assuring full support from the administration. He underscored the importance of formal educational recognition for securing valid academic certification in future.
It may be recalled that Special Secretary, Minorities, Parag Madhukar Dhakate has reminded that acting on the directives of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the government is in the process of finalising comprehensive inspection guidelines for all registered madrasas across the state. He has reiterated that no unregistered madrasa or Islamic educational institution will be permitted to function. Additionally, registered madrasas failing to adhere to the national curriculum will face closure.
It may be pertinent to note that Uttarakhand presently has 552 registered madrasas catering to over 80,000 children. In earlier phases of the crackdown, the state government had identified over 500 illegal madrasas, of which 237 have already been shut down.
