Congress alleges Rs.3000-crore scam to sell Mumbai varsity’s land

Senior Congress leader and former Vice-Chancellor of University of Mumbai Bhalchandra Mungekar has alleged a “potential landscam” brewing in the varsity’s plans to sell off 8.5 acres from its Kalina Campus, and demanded an investigation here on Wednesday.

He said that from the available evidence, the then VC had sought the erstwhile BJP government’s permission on May 19, 2016, to transfer the 8.5 acres of its suburban campus for infrastructure projects of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

The land totaling to 34,715 sq. metres would be used for a 30 metre wide connecting road (15,881 sq.metres), an 18.2 metre wide connecting road (18,834 sq.metres), for which the state government issued an order on Oct. 15, 2016, and also approved the varsity’s revamp plans.

“The agreement was the university would transfer the land to MMRDA, b t since the latter was unable to give compensation, it would ensure that the TDR of 8.5 acres would be made available to the varsity through the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation,” said Mungekar.

The university would sell the TDR to create a fund, estimated to be around Rs.3,000-crore, which would be deposited with the MMRDA, from which the varsity would utilize as per its needs, he added.

This would include constructing the varsity’s infrastructure/buildings, for which the MMDRA would prepare a master plan.

“In other words, the MMRDA will sell the university’s 8.5 acres land, keep the money as deposits and also construct buildings for the university, with no role for the university. It is also understood that the university will permit construction of residential skyscrapers and commercial building to utilize the fund of Rs.3,000 crore,” Mungekar claimed.

He demanded to know whether the Chancellor (Maharashtra Governor) was informed the the deal, if the university’s Management Council had cleared it, and why the master plan of the varsity revamp is not ready yet.

“Another factor is that the state government approved the proposal under the Maharashtra University Act, 1994, which has been replaced by the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016. Why? Moreover, the 8.5 acres land will be first transferred to the MMRDA and then the revamp plan will be implemented, for which there is no time-frame,” Mungekar pointed out.

Expressing apprehensions that the varsity may be a total loser in the deal, he said the 243-acres was given to the university in Kalina Campus (Santacruz east) only for academic activities and has been treated as No Development Zone since the past five decades.

“Moreover, no university in the state or country has permitted such elevated or terrestrial roads to run through and divide its campus, and if implemented, it will destroy the sanctity of the academic campus,” Mungekar said.

He said he met Governor B. S. Koshyari on Nov.21 and Dec. 15 to explain the ramifications of the deal, and the Governor has assured to raise it with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

“In view of these matters, it appears the deal is totally non-transparent, fraught with gross irregularities and hence amounts to a possible scam. I have urged the state government to immediately bar or scrap the proposal and order a probe,” Mungekar said.-IANS news