Students at MU’s sub campus in Thane forced to write exams without lights and fans

Students at the Thane Sub Campus of Mumbai University staged a protest against frequent power cuts, lack of amenities, and shortage of professors. They allege that they have been forced to write exams in poorly ventilated classrooms without electricity, lights, and fans. The students also complain about the lack of faculty and the closure of the library. The director of the campus denies the allegations and says that the issues will be resolved soon. The campus offers two five-year integrated courses.

Thane: Frequent power cuts since May, lack of amenities and professors on campus, weighed down heavily on the law aspirants studying at the Thane Sub Campus of Mumbai University (MU). On Monday, the students staged yet another protest against the lackadaisical attitude of the administration towards their plight. They alleged there’s been no electricity since Raksha Bandhan (August 30), and are forced to write exams without lights and fans in poorly ventilated classrooms.

Thane, India - September,11, 2023: Lack of many facilities in Thane Sub University of Mumbai University and Students protested as they were facing problems ,in Thane, in Mumbai, India, on, monday, September, 11, 2023. ( Praful Gangurde / HT Photo )

“The campus adopted centralised electricity recently. So, while we were facing random power cuts earlier, we now have a total shutdown since Raksha Bandhan because one fuse blew,” said Vedang Gupte, a third-year BBA LLB student.

“We wrote exams without light and fan, regardless of how dark or hot it was. I remember writing an exam in utter darkness because it was raining heavily, while the director’s office, equipped with a different generator, enjoyed air conditioning,” he said.

Students are claiming that there is a serious shortage of faculty, to the extent that five of the six subjects of the fourth year of BBA LLB have no professor assigned yet. The library has been shut for over two years due to a lack of a librarian. “Despite paying for offline college, we are being forced to attend online college. There too, since Raksha Bandhan, only four lectures have been conducted for my batch,” Gupte added.

Some of the students, along with their parents, gathered last week to meet Dr Adwait Vaidya. However, there is a lot of distrust of the director, following his reluctance to sign any document ensuring immediate remedy to the aggrieved students.

The entire campus has only one functioning water cooler. However, the students complain that the water is not potable. Female students have been demanding a female cleaner. The campus has three male cleaners who have been claiming that they have not received any payment for the last five months. “Girls’ washrooms are pathetic; we cannot even imagine using them. It is waterlogged, the ceiling has fallen and there is no drop of water to wash hands. There are swarms of mosquitoes everywhere due to stagnant water.” Shreeya Singh, a second-year BBA LLB student, told HT.

When contacted, Dr Adwait Vaidya, director of the campus, denied all allegations and said, “We are looking into the concerns raised by the students and they shall be resolved in a day or two. We have asked the university for the appointment of teachers, but there is some delay in the process. However, we have switched to online classes until then. Students’ issues have been represented to the authorities and necessary actions will be taken by the concerned committees.”

The Thane Sub Campus was started in 2014 in Balkum in Thane West and offers two five-year integrated courses - Bachelors in Management Studies – Masters in Business Administration (BMS-MBA) and Bachelors in Business Administration- Legum Baccalaureus (BBA-LLB (Hons.).