MUMBAI, June 24 -- Serious concerns about overcrowded classrooms, delayed reconstruction of a school building, illegal schools and student safety in Aarey Colony were raised during a meeting of the BMC education committee on Tuesday. Committee member Yogita Koli highlighted the issue of Shatabdi Chincholi Bunder School at Malad West where, she said, around 1,500 children had been studying in just 13 classrooms after their original school building was vacated nearly five years ago. "The old school on Chincholi Bunder Road was declared dilapidated and students were shifted to nearby schools," she said. "However, even after five years, no reconstruction work has begun and the old structure still stands." The corporator pointed out that students had their own playground and enough space in the old school. "Now, apart from overcrowding, the students don't even have basic facilities like a computer lab," she said, demanding that the civic administration begin construction of the new school building at the earliest so that students could return to their own campus. Taking note of the issue, education committee chairperson Rajeshri Shirwalkar directed the administration to attend to the matter seriously. In response, deputy municipal commissioner Prachi Jambhekar said that the plan for the new building was in the final stages and the proposal would be sent soon. Koli also raised questions on another old heritage school building in Malad which was earlier used as a girls' high school. She said the building had remained vacant for years and demanded detailed information about the future plans for the property. The issue of illegal schools also came up during the meeting. While the BMC administration informed the committee that FIRs had been filed against 53 of the 164 illegal schools identified across Mumbai, members demanded stronger action. Committee member Neil Somaiya said that merely filing police cases would not solve the problem and demanded action against the buildings housing such schools. He warned that certificates issued by unauthorised schools could be misused for obtaining passports and other government documents and called for an inquiry into the matter. He also suggested that children studying in such schools should be admitted to municipal or recognised schools to ensure their education and safety. In response, deputy commissioner (education) Prachi Jambhekar said the process to cancel the UDISE numbers of the schools had been initiated, and instructions had been issued to all ward offices for further action. While a UDISE number (Unified District Information System for Education), an 11-digit unique identification code assigned to every school in India by the ministry of education, is meant for authorised schools, hundreds of unauthorised schools are still functioning with a provisional UDISE number whose documents were never verified. Another issue discussed during the meeting was the safety of students studying in municipal schools located near forests in Aarey Colony. Committee member Ankit Prabhu expressed concern about the threat posed by leopards and other wild animals. Referring to a recent leopard sighting near IIT Powai, he demanded higher compound walls around schools in Aarey. Chairperson Rajeshri Shirwalkar directed the administration to take immediate action....