Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has summoned the MMRDA in a suo motu case instituted by it regarding the University of Mumbai. The commission had taken cognizance of a news report which reported that anti-social elements were entering the Kalina campus grounds due to broken compound walls of the university. The commission had directed the university, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and MMRDA to be present for the hearing. However, as MMRDA was not represented, the commission expressed its displeasure and issued summons to the authority.
The division bench of chairperson justice K K Tated and member Balwantrao More, while hearing the suo motu case, was informed that while the University of Mumbai and the BMC had filed affidavits in response to the notice issued to them and were also represented by lawyers, no one appeared for the MMRDA nor had they responded to the notice.
The commission had initiated the suo moto case after a report in a newspaper had highlighted that a wall from the main gate of the university to one of the buildings on the campus was completely missing as a result of which many outsiders entered the campus during the day for loitering or for using it as a toilet.
The article further pointed out that at night anti-social elements entered the campus from the broken wall and used an under-construction building for consuming drugs. The article also stated that this was happening due to a shortage of security personnel as well as the lack of CCTV surveillance and complaints to the university authority in this regard had gone unattended.
The commission had taken cognizance of the article and initiated a suo motu case.
During the hearing held on May 30 at the MSHRC office at CST, advocate Gaurav Sharma for the university and advocate Rajshree Walvi for the BMC submitted affidavits. However, after perusing the university’s affidavit, the bench expressed displeasure at the reply and stated that it was filed in a “casual manner”.
Advocate Sharma informed the bench that in lieu of acquisition of certain land, MMRDA had agreed to construct the compound wall and there was an oral agreement to that effect. He further submitted that there was no specific information on the length, height or width of the wall that would be constructed by MMRDA.
“It is difficult to understand how the semi-government organisation can enter into an oral agreement. Apart from that, within how much time is MMRDA going to construct the said compound wall, is not stated anywhere. Not only that, these facts are not disclosed by the university in their reply,” the bench noted in its order.
The bench also expressed its angst against the letter forwarded by an executive engineer of MMRDA to the commission as it did not have any information on the action taken by the authority on the problem highlighted by the news article.
“Office is directed to issue fresh summons to the Commissioner, MMRDA, to file his affidavit and explain within how much time they will complete construction of the compound wall as per agreed terms and conditions with Registrar, University of Mumbai, Kalina Campus, Mumbai,” said the bench.
The bench has sought a reply from MMRDA till June 13 and also allowed the university to file an additional affidavit by the same date and posted the hearing of the case to June 14.
The issue had been raised by a senate member in its meeting in March wherein he had said, “Due to the seemingly never-ending construction work on the Kalina campus, several contractors have not bothered to remove their construction workers from the campus and the university too has turned a blind eye. Many of these workers have built proper houses inside the Kalina campus now and have been residing there for nearly seven years. We need to take action against such encroachers.”
In the annual senate meeting in March this year, MU vice-chancellor Suhas Pednekar had then ordered a committee to look into this issue and ensure the encroachers are sent notices soon and removed from campus in the next two months.
When questioned about the current status of broken walls which has led to incidents of miscreants entering the campus without permission, a senior MU official told HT that these complaints are being looked into with the help of local authorities. “The issue of broken walls is being handled by the MMRDA after a certain section of the university campus had to be given away for the widening of the main road. Building new walls is their (MMRDA) responsibility and we are in touch with them to get it done at the earliest,” said the official.