Mumbai: After almost 8 months of Mumbai University's Pali department students attending lectures on the floor due to a lack of benches and a proper space, the administration has granted them 40 benches just a day after the Free Press Journal highlighted this issue.
On August 29, the Pali department received an official letter from the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Ravindra Kulkarni, assigning them extra benches available at the university's computer lab to use until new benches were available.
Background
- Original story reported on December 23: [Link]
- Follow-up story with videos of students sitting on the ground: [Link]
See the before-after picture below:
FPJ
The Pali department was also temporarily assigned a room on the ground floor of the new language building to tackle the space crunch.
A professor from the department, who chose to remain anonymous, commented on the matter, stating, "The Vice-Chancellor makes promises, but the groundwork and execution often lag. However, the students are very happy that these benches were arranged."
"The benches have been provided in two classrooms as a temporary arrangement. We hope that benches will be supplied in the remaining classrooms soon. We are thankful to the Vice Chancellor and hope for their fullest cooperation for the propagation and preservation of this ancient language," he added.
Ongoing Concerns
While the university's administration makes efforts to provide the basic amenities for its students, concerns persist. Exclusive images accessed by the FPJ revealed huge cracks in the 2 classrooms permanently assigned to the department. The monsoon season complicates the situation students face issues due to water leakage and mosquito infestation in the room.
Apart from these issues, Pali students also face problems with clean washrooms, access to clean drinking water, and broken fans in the classrooms. The professor mentioned that the vice chancellor has assured immediate relief from these issues.
However, no response was received from the Vice-Chancellor as of the time of publishing this article.
