English-medium primary schools mushrooming in Salt Lake have become a major cause of concern for the authorities as they violate their master plans and make false promises about infrastructure and teaching quality.

?There is no government regulation on these schools. We cannot do anything to ensure that these schools do not mete out corporal punishment to students,? school education minister Kanti Biswas said on Monday. ?We only have control over government and government-aided schools. As for these primary schools, only police can take any action.?

The problem is taking a serious turn in Salt Lake, admit authorities. ?A number of schools have come up without taking our permission. They do not have the required infrastructure or trained teachers,? said Dilip Gupta, chairman of Bidhannagar Municipality.

Gupta said most of these schools have violated land rules by using a residential plot for commercial purpose. ?While collecting the completion certificate, the owners do not mention any school,? the chairman alleged.

Officials said at least 15 English-medium schools are operating illegally. ?We impose a penalty on these schools but it will not solve the problem,? Gupta stressed. ?The government must take action against them.?

State education department officials said private schools from nursery to the seventh standard do not require a no-objection certificate from the government or affiliation from any council or board. ?These schools take advantage of the situation and tall claims are made in advertisements about the quality of teachers and infrastructure,? an official told Metro.

Residents of Salt Lake said they have complained to the municipality about the schools. ?We recently wrote a letter to the municipality but nothing has happened,? said Ramen Das, vice-president of the Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) Welfare Association. He alleged that while a number of plots allotted for setting up educational institutions are lying vacant, nursery schools are coming up on plots earmarked for residential purposes.