Mumbai University finds itself under fire for its handling of alleged land misuse by the organizers of the Tata Mumbai Marathon, raising concerns about transparency and the use of university property for commercial purposes. Former members of the Yuva Sena Management Council, Pradeep Sawant and Rajan Kolombkar, claim that during the January 21 event, organizers significantly exceeded the allotted two acres of land at the Kalina Campus, utilizing nearly ten acres in total. In a letter to Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ravindra Kulkarni, Sawant expressed concern and demanded punitive action.
While the university acknowledged the use of five additional acres beyond the contracted two, their response has drawn further criticism. "Taking cognizance of our complaint, the university took punitive action against the management for using more land than was allotted. An engineer was assigned to calculate the land and as per his calculation, the additional 5 acres of land was used. We appealed to authorities not to use the university land for commercial purposes and it has been ignored. However, when we received the order copy of the said action, we realised that the action was extremely wrong," said Sawant.
Mumbai University asked the management of Tata Mumbai Marathon to pay the penalty. The order mentioned that for the additional 5 acres of land used for organising the sports expo and Tata Mumbai Marathon at the open space in the Kalina campus of Mumbai University, the organisers need to pay a total of Rs. 5,00,000/- at the rate of Rs. 25,000/- per acre per day + 18% GST for 4 days from January 17 to 20, 2024. The said amount should be deposited in the Finance and Accounts Department of the University immediately.
The university's action has drawn criticism and dissatisfaction among the student body. Sawant has urged a thorough re-investigation and stricter action. He added, "The Mumbai University ordered a penalty of 25000 per acre used for four days, which is not enough. The rent was 50000 per acre, but the penalty imposed was only Rs. 25,000 per acre per day, the penalty should be more. Even in this, there seems to be a suspicious role, so we demand a re-investigation."
Sawant wrote a second letter to the University authority stressing the need for transparency and accountability, highlighting the lack of student representation in the university's decision-making process. "The absence of student representatives makes the university administration more susceptible to such irregularities. We also demand that action be taken against those who recommended nominal positive action against them," added Sawant.
These allegations have cast a shadow over the Tata Mumbai Marathon and Mumbai University's reputation. LokmatTimes.com tried to reach out to Mumbai University authorities but no response was made.