Govt asks MU to refund ₹2 crore

MUMBAI: The district collector of Mumbai has directed the University of Mumbai to refund the Rs 2 crore that was allotted for the construction of a centre to promote Hindi , a Right to Information (RTI) query has revealed.

The centre, named Dr Rammanohar Tripathi Hindi Bhasha Bhavan, was to be built on the university's Kalina campus and was approved by the collector in June 2014. An amount of Rs 2 crores was sanctioned for the project in January 2015 and the university was required to utilise it by March 2016.

However, till date, the university has spent only Rs2.5 lakh of the funds and there hasn't been any construction for the Hindi Bhasha Bhavan. Only the foundation stone has been laid.

Hindi Bhasha Bhavan along student hostels and staff quarters, are some of the MU projects that are yet to see the light of the day.

According to a university official, the government had approved Hindi and Urdu bhasha bhavans, after some professors approached and apprised it of the need for the centres to promote vernacular languages. The university has a Marathi Bhasha Bhavan. “It seems that the current government doesn't care about Hindi and Urdu. One should treat all languages equally,” said Anil Galgali, the activist who had filed the RTI query.

However, MA Khan, MU registrar, said, “The university wanted to build a structure for various centres. If it had spent the money just for a Hindi Bhasha Bhavan, the space would have been blocked.” He added that the university was preparing a mas