Centre’s plans to take over BISM angers Pune historians

Presently, a managing committee consisting of history researchers and scholars appointed by the charity commissioner in 1991 is looking after the management of the mandal. The earlier managing committee of the mandal was declared “disqualified” by the then charity commissioner on the grounds that its outdated constitution was due for necessary amendments. The building housing the mandal needs a face lift, besides the work of creating a computer data base of the manuscripts and books housed by the mandal is the need of the hour, feel city-based history research scholars.

The BISM, founded by renowned historian V K Rajwade, houses a treasury of about 8 lakh ancient manuscripts, thousands of gold coins belonging to historic eras and about 24,000 rare books. Maintenance of these has to be managed with a small amount of Rs 2,500 which the mandal gets from the directorate of libraries.

The members of the institution had constituted a committee to recommend changes in the old constitution, history researcher Ninad Bedekar told The Indian Express.