In a bid to avert new encroachments on the Kalina campus and increase security, the University of Mumbai security personnel have written to the authorities asking them to raise the height of the compound wall. The height has been reduced to a mere three to four feet due to dumping of debris by outsiders. As a result, encroachers have started straying on the campus again.
After a long drawn legal battle, the University had finally managed to get the encroachments vacated. In a joint action based on the courts order, the BMC and police removed the encroachments that had come up on the Bharat Nagar end of the campus.
The letter says, “With the size of the wall reducing, encroachers have started straying on the campus again. Due to the shortage of security personnel, it is difficult to keep a round-the-clock vigil to ensure that encroachers do not enter the campus.”
The letter suggests that either the University increase the number of permanent security personnel or raise the height of the wall. According to a senior security personnel, the wall requires immediate repairs at certain places as it has either been broken by encroachers or collapsed due to natural causes.
Management council member, Dilip Karande who has taken the onus of taking the voice of the security personnel to the University authorities said, “If encroachers enter the campus, the security personnel are blamed. The University should ensure that the suggestions of security personnel are implemented immediately as dealing with encroachers would result in long years of litigation which could be a headache for the University,” said Mr Karande.
A senior University official said they were yet to receive the letter and would decide what to do after reading it. “Efforts are on to ensure that the compound walls are not breached. There are proposals for installing surveillance cameras to ensure round-the-clock vigil at the suspect spots,” he said.