Mumbai: Mumbai University’s (MU) Kalyan sub-campus will finally begin functioning from June 2017, seven years after inauguration. This was decided in a meeting on Thursday between MU’s vice-chancellor, Dr Sanjay Deshmukh, registrar Dr M. A. Khan and the academic council. “Kalyan sub-campus is earmarked as School of Engineering Sciences as of now. We shall, however, start the extension centre of IDOL (Institute of Distance and Open Learning) in the sub-campus besides M.Tech in Computer Engineering from next academic year,” said Dr Deshmukh.
The decision comes in the backdrop of protests on Tuesday by the sub-campus’s Student Action Front Union (SAF) demanding that the sub-campus begin functioning. SAF president Prashant Ingle said the campus should have originally begun functioning in the year 2013.
Mr Ingle, a former senate member of MU, said, “We have been fighting for the sub-campus since 2005, when it was first proposed. We are happy with the decision.”
However, some of SAF’s demands, like additional courses, have been put on hold. Despite having submitted the draft of new courses in the meeting as suggested by the university, sources informed that it would try to look into the demand probably in the academic year 2018-19.
Leeladhar Bansode, deputy registrar of MU, said introducing new courses requires going through a set of procedures. Meanwhile, the union also made demands for a study centre and a library at the sub-campus.
