The issue of the land on which the school has been built has been one of our greatest struggles since deciding to build in Bakhel. When we first decided upon it RBKS promised us it would take a mere 10 days to have it transferred into the community?s name. How wrong they were?

It took 6 months just for RBKS to submit an application for the land to the relevant office- really not cool. Once in the office it sat there, for yet another 5 months, while corrupt bureaucrats waited for bribes that never came. Over these months and months of waiting and questioning by us, RBKS just continued to promise that the whole issue would be sorted, any day now, and on occasion they even told us that the whole land issue had been settled, but it never was. Eventually we had to start issuing warnings to RBKS to resolve this issue.

Eventually with a bit of pressure the application moved on from the local area level, and was approved at block level. It is now lying on the desk of the District Collector, who thankfully likes us and has promised to clear the application. After this it goes to the State Revenue Department, and apparently here again we could be waiting for months for a response before getting approval!

While the acquisition of the land is pending, we have an agreement with the local community and district collector allowing us to go ahead with the building and running of the school.

India has so many bureaucrats and most of them are great, but those that are corrupt can make life hell for anyone!

3 weeks! As if.