THE UNIVERSITY of Mumbai will raise funds worth Rs 1,000 crore for its development, said Vice-Chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh at the 160th Foundation Day celebration held on the Kalina campus on Monday. “Any entity, such as the alumni association, that feels to contribute towards the university, should be able to do so and the funds generated should be treated as endowments,” said Deshmukh. While the plan is not aimed at a particular project but the overall development of the project, Deshmukh said the entity contributing to the varsity will get a say in how the funds will be used. No deadline has been set for raising the ambitious amount. However, teachers’ and students’ unions said the existing situation of the university makes it vulnerable to misutilisation of funds. “Currently, there is no elected representative of students, teachers and employees in the university, and all the councils are operating on an ad-hoc basis,” said a member of Bombay University and College Teachers’ Union (BUCTU). [related-post] Watch Video: What's making news “Moreover, the Universities Act is also pending approval. At such a time, the funds raised must be used diligently.” According to the member, the grants received by the university earlier have not been used properly and transparently. “There were proposals for enhancing the research facilities in the university and providing better hostel facilities for students coming from far off places. But these suggestions were not implemented even though we had the grants,” said the BUCTU member. The different associations had not been consulted over the utilisation of funds, she said. “Before asking for more grants, it is important to look at how the earlier grants have been used,” said Santosh Gangurde, vice-president of Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena. He added, “The university should avail of the Corporate Social Responsibility schemes of the corporates but the funds should be utilised properly.”
