Mumbai: BJP opposes Urdu study centre in Byculla, wants to use the building for ITI instead

The ground-plus-one-storey structure in Byculla

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reiterated its opposition to the construction of an Urdu Bhavan in Byculla, which was sanctioned by the Shiv Sena in 2021 in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). As the civic body had already started construction work, a ground-plus-one-storey structure stands on the site of the proposed institute.

In a letter to Bhushan Gagrani, municipal commissioner, the BJP demanded that the structure be turned into an industrial training institute by following the appropriate procedure. Shiv Sena had earmarked Rs 1.5 crore for the Urdu Bhavan in the 2021-22 budget. The proposal was sent by the assistant commissioner of the E ward in December 2021 and subsequently sanctioned by the municipal commissioner/administrator in August 2022. The BMC then allotted the work to construct a five-storey structure at a cost of Rs 13.81 crore.

Bhalchandra Shirsat, BJP spokesperson

Bhalchandra Shirsat, former corporator and spokesperson of the BJP has written a letter to the Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani and met him on Thursday to discuss the issue. "The land was allotted for ITI, Parel in 2011, but ten years later, during the online meeting of the BMC during the COVID-19 pandemic, the proposal was scrapped without due procedure. Subsequently, the proposal for Urdu Bhavan was sanctioned by the administrator in 2022. A PIL was filed in the high court against the unlawful procedure of cancellation. The work was stopped by the BMC in August 2023," said Shirsat.

"We demand that the existing structure be converted into an industrial training institute, which will help improve the technical skills of the youth. There are already 12 Urdu schools in the vicinity and there is ample space to start an Urdu study centre elsewhere," he said.