Mumbai: Four years on, MMRDA still preparing MU campus master plan

MMRDA officials had, in 2019, claimed that the plan would be ready in six months. File pic

The master plan to make the Kalina campus of Mumbai University (MU) a world-class one seems to be moving at a snail's pace and nobody, including the varsity administration, seems to be bothered by this.

According to an RTI reply, the infrastructure development plan mooted in 2018 with regard to the Vidyanagari campus is still not ready.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) was entrusted with preparing the plan.

The Kalina campus, which is spread over 243 acres, is currently under the jurisdiction of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). But a government resolution in 2018 selected the MMRDA to help the university with its master plan.

Following this, on August 28, 2019, the MMRDA appointed Delhi-based M/s DDF Consultants Pvt Ltd, the lead bidder, and M/s MODE Design Corp Pvt Ltd, the consortium partner, to develop a detailed layout master plan and urban design guidelines for a world-class campus.

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The cost estimation of the project mentioned in the letter of intent (LOI) sent to the above firms was Rs 1,12,70,000, excluding GST.

MMRDA officials then claimed that the plan would be ready in six months and all that the regulatory body was supposed to do was to collect primary and secondary data by meeting representatives from each department and understanding the requirements.

A number of hostels, laboratories, department buildings and auditoriums are located on the Kalina campus. However, the institution maintained that the development of the campus over the years had been haphazard.

"Over the years, it has developed largely on its own, given the availability of large tracts of land, but without the visionary benefit of a thorough master plan and such a document to bind the overall campus in an integrated whole," reads the MU's Perspective Plan, which emphasises the need for a master plan.

RTI activist Anil Galgali had sought information about the master plan from MMRDA. The latter's Public Information Officer Ankita Das, in her reply, informed Galgali that the process of preparing the said plan was still in progress.

The RTI reply also revealed that to date, the consultants have been paid Rs 4,96,000.

Demanding punitive action against the consultants for the delay, Galgali said, "Even the MMRDA is still not sure when the master plan will be completed. In the reply, they just mentioned that it is being prepared. Also, the MU administration is not bothered about what is happening with the plan. They have totally shirked their responsibility by handing over it to MMRDA. The latter might be the planning authority, but MU is the major stakeholder."

Neither the MU vice-chancellor (in-charge) nor pro-vice-chancellor (in-charge) was available for comment. Despite reaching out to the MMRDA, mid-day did not receive a reply to its queries till the time of going to press.