Journalism of Courage
The existence of Vaikunthlal Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) has come under “threat” with the apex management training institute, hailed as an intellectual nerve centre for the cooperative movement for the last 50 years, set to lose around two-third of its 15-acre campus to a proposed project of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
The civic body project aims to widen the road in front of the institute. The employees, students and staffers residing on the campus have strongly opposed the move, which is being planned as per the draft Development Plan (DP) of the civic body.
Sanjeeb Patjoshi, Director, VAMNICOM, said the proposal to widen the road up to 30 metres inside the campus would erase around half-a-dozen buildings, including the administrative block, an auditorium, a guesthouse, faculty quarters and the boys’ hostel.
“Besides, we could lose our official recognition by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) as our campus dimensions would be reduced to less than what is stipulated by the regulatory body. The institute has been serving as the training institute for Indian and foreign students besides catering to training needs of a large number of in-service employees. Students along with staffers residing on the campus and other stakeholders will be in for an irrevocable shock if the road-widening takes place,” he said.
VAMNICOM, which is a grant-in-aid institution under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Agriculture, has an intake capacity of as many as 500 students besides a staff of 150.
“After widening, the road will become public and paralyse the campus life. It will risk the safety of staffers and their children residing on the campus due to the possible heavy flow of traffic. Besides, the project would involve cutting of around 300 trees and destruction of a hill on the campus, causing a major damage to the local fragile ecology. All this devastation will take place despite our campus and its facilities being built with the permission of the civic body,” said Tushar Mirajkar, academic associate with VAMNICOM.
VAMNICOM staffers and students claimed that the proposal to widen the roughly 2-km stretch between Gate No 1 and Gate No 6 would not reduce traffic congestion on the Ganeshkhind Road, but add to it.
Patjoshi said the institute had raised an objection to the proposed project with the civic body and presented its say during the hearings on the draft DP recently. “Despite our objection, the civic body is likely to go ahead with its plans. One of its senior officials recently visited our campus and placed a formal demand for handing over the land,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Agriculture was regularly updated on the developments.
Prashant Waghmare, City Engineer, PMC, said the planning committee constituted to look into the draft DP would take a call on the objection raised by the institute. “The planning committee will submit its report on the draft DP hearings to the PMC’s general body before forwarding it to the state government,” he said.
The PMC authorities said after widening, the road passing through the institute would connect traffic to Khadki and thereby reduce congestion in and around the University Chowk.
