Government-run colleges in Maharashtra to undergo a structural audit

The Government of Maharashtra has announced a plan to audit the campuses of all government colleges and institutions in the state. It will be the first time that such an audit will be conducted. The government runs 57 technical institutions, 28 colleges for higher education, and four Arts colleges, with all these institutions expected to undergo a structural audit. 

It is estimated that around 45,000 students study in government colleges or institutions in the state. The plan includes the audit of historic institutions like Sydenham and Elphinstone College. “There is no data on the structural fitness of colleges run by the government. Thousands of students are studying in these colleges and their safety is the government’s priority,” said Uday Samant, who is the Minister of Higher and Technical Education of Maharashtra. 

“Since the building is a heritage structure, we do get funding from various sources from time-to-time to carry out the renovation. A complete structural audit is, however, pending,” said an official from Elphinstone College. This is a 100-year-old institution and is also on the government’s list of colleges to audit. In December last year, a government-run medical college in Nagpur had its roof collapsed, killing two people as a result. Although medical colleges don’t come under the technical and higher education department, there are structures that are in need of a workup. 

While this move will cover government institutions, some believe a similar plan should be set in place for aided and unaided colleges as well.