Status change prompts IIM-Mumbai to get makeover

The ₹1,907-crore revamp plan, which covers the 26-hectare campus on the fringes of Powai lake, will allow the institute to expand, upgrade its courses and, most importantly, improve its ranking among educational institutions in the country

MUMBAI: The lakeside campus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Mumbai is getting a makeover as part of a rebranding exercise after the institute received IIM status three years ago.

Status change prompts IIM-Mumbai to get makeover

The ₹1,907-crore revamp plan, which covers the 26-hectare campus on the fringes of Powai lake, will allow the institute to expand, upgrade its courses and, most importantly, improve its ranking among educational institutions in the country. IIM-Mumbai is currently ranked sixth among management institutes, according to the National Institute of Ranking Infrastructure (NIRF) under the Union Education Ministry.

Sources aware of the revamp plans say approvals for the campus makeover have largely come through. It is awaiting clearance from the state forest department as 9 hectares of the campus fall under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) Eco-Sensitive Zone.

IIM-M, formerly the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), was set up by the Government of India in 1963, to focus on management education and industrial engineering. Having received IIM status in August 2023, its management is keen to rebrand, upgrading its ageing infrastructure and elevating its academic curriculum consistent with its new identity. Along with its changed status, sources of funding have expanded, with the institute now turning largely to the corporator sector for funds.

He said the revamp plan will be rolled out across three and half years to give the campus a brand new look. Of the 26 structures on campus, many will be renovated, while five new ones will be added to expand hostel facilities, accommodation for faculty, research facilities and other academic infrastructure.

Among the structures being demolished are academic and industrial buildings, an industrial PG block, a substation, Gilberth Hall, Vikram Sarabhai Hall, residential buildings, a community hall, laundry building, a post office, a bank, a pump room and gate complex.

A new faculty housing complex will be built to accommodate more than 200 teachers. Teaching staff have been temporarily relocated near Powai Lake. Hostel facilities too are in dire need of expansion. The current hostel capacity is 750-800 students but the institute accommodates 1,200-odd students in double occupancy. A new bungalow for the institute’s director will also be built. Construction of the extension of the Swami Vivekanand Hall building, which is the boys’ hostel, is almost complete.

“We have planned the redevelopment in a way that ongoing academic activities are not disturbed. Construction of the new administrative block is already underway. Once completed, we will demolish the old administrative building and shift to the new one. We are also developing staff quarters and faculty residences,” Tiwari said.