Chaos erupts as Mumbai University passes Rs 968 crore budget

Mumbai Universityrsquos Senate on Saturday approved a budget outlay of R96817 crore for the financial year 2025ndash26 marking a 952 per cent increase from the previous yearrsquos R884 crore The session however was marred by high drama protests sloganeering and a sitin demonstration by members of the Yuva Sena UBT and the Bombay University and College Teachersrsquo Union BUCTU Despite this the budget was passed by a majority voteThe annual budget session held at the Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Convocation Hall on the universityrsquos Fort campus witnessed heightened security as chaos unfolded during the proceedings Protesting members disrupted the session for over two hours staging a sitin in the well of the house They alleged procedural violations claiming the budget had neither been formally discussed nor approved in the universityrsquos Management Council MC meeting as requiredThis year the budget session was held with full strength of senate including the elected member of teachers and graduate constituency after a gap of two years owing to delay in electionsDispute sparks outrageSheetal DevrukhkarSheth a Senate member from the Yuva Sena raised a point of order before the budget presentation stating ldquoSince the passing of the budget was not explicitly listed on the Management Council meeting agenda held on March 12 it was not discussed and therefore should not be presented before the SenaterdquoThis led to a sitin protest by Yuva Sena and BUCTU members which continued until the end of the session The disruption forced the meeting to be adjourned for 15 minutes after lunch Ahead of the session Yuva Sena members also staged a protest outside the varsityrsquos Fort campus waving placards and raising issues such as incomplete infrastructure errors in evaluation and spelling mistakes on studentsrsquo marksheetsUniversity denies allegationsUniversity officials however maintained that due process was followed Pro ViceChancellor Dr Ajay Bhamare clarified ldquoThe minutes of the previous Management Council meeting were included in the agenda and the budget was part of those minutes Therefore the discussion did take placerdquoSeveral MC members present during the Senate meeting supported this claim and amid the ongoing protest the budget was presented and passed within minutes as demanded by the remaining Senate members Governornominated Senate member Dhanesh Sawant criticised the conduct of the protesting membersldquoThose disrupting the decorum of the house and ignoring the ViceChancellorrsquos repeated requests to maintain discipline are doing so for vested interestsrdquo he said He and other members demanded action against the 18 Senate members 10 from Yuva Sena and 8 from BUCTU who participated in the protest Yuva Sena leader and Management Council member Pradeep Sawant questioned the universityrsquos transparencyldquoAs per regulations MC members must be given the budget draft at least seven days in advance This year it was shared just a day before the meeting leaving no time for meaningful discussion Moreover the Senate agenda made no mention of the budgetrdquo he stated adding ldquoWe submitted a memorandum to the ViceChancellor demanding the matter be brought to the attention of the GovernorrdquoBudget highlights and financialsThe approved budget includes several initiatives focused on academic excellence inclusivity research and global outreach Key allocations includeQuality Inclusivity and Excellence AcademicsRs 10croreGovernance Reforms under Quality InitiativesRs 35 croreResearch and Innovation CultureRs 15 croreStudent Support and ProgressionRs 5 croreAlumni Connect amp UniversityIndustry LinkagesRs 5 croreInternationalisation and Global Citizenship EducationRs 5 croreAs per the budget document the number of affiliated colleges has increased from 743 in 2015ndash16 to 914 in 2024ndash25 an 187137 rise Student enrolment also grew from 715 lakh to over 804 lakh an increase of 111437 over the same period The revised estimate for 202425 shows a deficit of R8260 crore down from the original R12160 crore However the net deficit for the 2025ndash26 estimate is projected at Rs 14763 cr