New Delhi: Scarcity of resources has resulted in more than 1.5 lakh students studying in the primary schools run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to sit down on mats instead of chairs.

The laidback attitude of the civic body towards the problem can be estimated by the fact that the school has been treating students in this way from the last six years.

"Our samples were being rejected for desks-cum-chairs from the Sri Ram Laboratory. Once the samples got approved also and we referred the matter to court and we were unable to obtain new chairs and tables," said Chairman of the education committee of the MCD, Prithvi Raj Sawhney.

"There are some or the other shortages in every school and we have made arrangements of mats for the students to sit on them. The matter will be resolved soon," he added.

More than 9 lakh students study in primary schools run by MCD.

Nearly 70,000 desks-cum-chairs would be purchased for senior students as per the civic body.

"We have decided to acquire new desks-cum-chairs for senior classes but the junior classes have to wait for a short while as the samples for them have yet to be approved. If the problem persists for long we will provide bigger desks to junior kids as well," he avers.

Mayor Kanwar Sain on the other hand said that he was unaware of any such problem.

"I have not received a single complaint against the scarcity of chairs," he said.

This is not the first time when the civic body has failed to provide basic infrastructure in its schools, many MCD students will also be forced to sit underneath a makeshift tents this year for studying.

Recently the civic body got permission to put up around 360 makeshift tents and 1,086 canopies for students as they were unable to construct new school buildings which they had promised to construct last year.