Five years on, Mumbai University continues to use old, shabby library

The Jawaharlal Nehru Knowledge Centre in Kalina

The construction of the new library of the Mumbai University was over a year ago, but the varsity continues to use the old one - parts of which are in shambles - causing anger among the students. "It appears that MU administration is waiting for an accident to happen to finally take the decision of shifting to the new building," said Sanjay Wairal, a former senate member.

The university had shut down the C-wing of the library after a huge chunk of the ceiling collapsed in September 2014. With monsoon approaching, the students fear the other sections of the Jawaharlal Nehru Knowledge Centre in Kalina will suffer the same fate.

"With monsoon fast approaching, we wouldn't be shocked if other wings of the library would face the situation that the C-wing is in. Though the other parts have not been declared dangerous yet, their condition is not very different," said a student. The student added that books in the closed section continue to remain there.

"The library's C wing was closed in 2014 after slabs of the ceiling came crashing down. The administration had then said there was no reason to worry as a new building was being built. The new building is ready now but the library continues to operate in the old one," said one masters student on condition of anonymity.

Wairal said they have not been given any reason by the university for not shifting the library to the new building. Mumbai University Deputy Registrar and PRO Leeladhar Bansod said, "We are looking at how and when shifting can take place. Actually, the old building is vast and we are yet to check the capacity of the new one. Also, as prescribed in the structural audit of Kalina campus, repairing of the old library is already in pipeline."

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