Abhinav Arts College to close down by 2015
News — By The Desk on May 22, 2012 at 5:30 PMSakaal Times: The Abhinav Arts College is set to close down, with its management announcing the closure of both the colleges in the city in a phased manner by 2015.
In a statement issued on Monday, Bhalchandra Pathaki, the secretary of Bharatiya Kala Prasarini Sabha, a trust which runs the colleges, blamed the policies of the State government for the so-called financial crisis in the institution.
“The government had been turning a deaf ear to our demand that an aided arts college in Maharashtra must receive grants on the same lines as engineering and other colleges governed by the Department of Higher and Technical Education,” Pathak said. He accused the government of not paying the trust rent for the land used by both the branches of Abhinav College for the past many years.
Pathak has also announced shifting of the Pashan branch of the college to the Tilak Road branch from the academic year 2012-13, saying that Pashan branch is in bad shape and could be unsafe for students. He has proposed that the government run Abhinav Arts College on its own land. This would be in accordance with its approved proposal for setting up aided arts colleges in some cities of Maharashtra, including Pune.
He also criticised veteran artists, who have associated with the ongoing agitation for ‘Saving Abhinav,’ alleging that they were indifferent and inactive when it came to pursuing the just demands of arts college with the government for its survival.
The government has directed the Directorate of Arts to constitute a three-member committee to probe charges levelled by students and faculties against the management. The committee has also been asked to suggest possible measures for protecting interests of the students.
