RTMNU:Biggest landlord, but clueless about its own property

RTMNU:Biggest landlord, but clueless about its own property

By Vikas Vaidya

Who is the biggest landowner within Nagpur city ? Not any realty major, but two niversities- Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) and Dr Punjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV). The PDKV has somehow protected its vast land from encroachment and even opposed its diversion for any other public activity.
But the track-record of RTMNU in protecting its vast property is pathetic. Precious little has been done to utilise RTMNU properties at prime locations within city limits and on the city outskirts. Absence of any property register and lax approach in last six decades has helped only land sharks in gobbling university’s property.
University has miserably failed to protect and get back its own 70.09 acre land adjoining Amravati road campus and appears to be clueless about existence of vast properties situated elsewhere.
According to information accessed by a vigilant citizen Anil Wadpalliwar under RTI, the RTMNU owns properties in Ramdaspeth, Dharampeth, South Ambazari road, entire stretch of Amravati road and at Ambazari and its present market cost is in hundreds of crores. Most of the properties are lying either unused or encroached. The issue was first raised in University Senate meeting when an alert member Ambadas Mohite had pointed it out. It was also came to the fore that university owns the land not only in the state but in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and that too at city of Hyderabad. Nobody in university has bothered to search 22 acre land near Secundarabad Railway station whose present cost is roughly Rs 1000 crore, the RTI query revealed.
How can University be so callous towards property of a great man like Rao Bahadur D Laxmi Narayan who donated his entire estate and money for the cause of educational development, asked an angry Wadpalliwar.
Raobahadur D Laxminarayan had donated 25.31 acre land with his main bungalow where various educational, administrative buildings and hostel buildings are located. Apart from this, there is 11.86 acre land at Kanhan (Mouza Pipri Khasra no. 162 and 190, Tahsil Parshioni).
The land at Kanhan was given on rent to Biharilal Khandelwal Trust from July 16, 1973 to July 15, 2003. The lease was extended for next ten years with merely Rs 60,000 annual rent (or a paltry Rs. 5000 per month). The said trust is running its school there in the name of BKC Public School and entire land is under its possession.
University received donation of 7 acre land from Late Dr M B Niyogi on August 9, 1955 which is on Ambazari road near Subhashnagar square (Mauja Parsodi 5 acre in Khasra no 22/1 and 23/1 and 2 acre in Khasra no 50 and 51). On this land Academic Staff College and Centre for Sericulture and Biological Paste Management Research is situated, still another 1.5 to 2 acre land is lying unused.
Dr Kamalabai Korke had donated her bungalow situated at ward no 75, house no 253, Dharampeth Extension, Shivajinagar, admeasuring 9600 Sq.Ft, having a two storey structure,  and wished that varsity would put it to fruitful use. At first university had given it on rent to National Centre for Rural Development from May 1, 1985 to September 30, 2009. Later it has vacated it.
The bungalow at Dhantoli donated by Shrimati Janakibai Thakur is in dispute as the tenant there has refused to vacate it and now university is fighting a lengthy and time consuming legal battle. This bungalow in Dhantoli named ‘Sadaparva’ was donated on February 17, 1944 admeasuring 6240 Sq.Ft. University did little to remove the tenant staying there.
If these properties are sold, a handsome corpus can be generated and same can be used for academic development.


----Box------

with pic

Kalmegh’s descendants not giving back bungalow

The official bungalow of university that was allotted to late Dadasaheb Kalmegh, former Vice-Chancellor as university employee, is in dispute. Every government employee has to vacate the residence allotted to him or her after retirement. Unfortunately Kalmegh did not return the same. After his sad demise, his descendants too have refused to vacate it and occupying the premises without paying a penny to University and without any legal right. The matter has already reached the court. There was one case where an university employee did not give back his residential quarter after retirement. University took stern action and stopped giving him his pension benefits. This lasted for two years and the employee meekly surrendered and returned back the quarter. Why same kind of action was not taken against Kalmegh, who in his personal life did a good work for many, asked one senate member.

------------------x------------------


Rs 30 crore Ramdaspeth Land donated
for NU students hostel, now in shambles


Nagpur University is one of those lucky institutions in the country which received such massive properties from philanthropists. Laxmi Swamy Devi Neni, working as Deputy Collector in 1920’s and a contemporary of Rao Bahadur D Laxmi Narayan, had also donated his one acre land (around 43,000 sq ft) in prime Ramdaspeth area right on Central Bazar Road for construction of hostels for students of Nagpur University. The land is situated behind Rainbow Medinova hospital and adjacent to Hotel Tuli Imperial and its present market value is around Rs 30 crore. Late Laxmi Swamy in his will prepared in 1929 had wished that Nagpur University should become a major centre of learning and a grand hostel for scholars and students should be situated in prime locality.
Interestingly, Nagpur University has never bothered to take possession of this land which was meant for its students. This is really shameful for RTMNU that such a prime property has never been utilised as per the will of late Laxmi Swamy who had a dream to provide residential facility to students, rued Wadpalliwar.
Instead of RTMNU, two private trusts are now fighting among themselves to take possession of this property. The matter is now before the Charity Commissioner and appointment of prospective trustees under section 47 of the Bombay Public Trust Act.