Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Amid rising concerns over encroachment on Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) land, university teachers, staff and Executive Council members have expressed strong support for protecting the institution’s property.
This development comes three days after Samvad Kranti raised alarm over shrinking university land, prompting widespread backing from the academic community.
Two letters, written by two separate teachers association of DAVV teachers, backed the memorandum submitted by Samvad Kranti to the Governor of Madhya Pradesh, highlighting that the steady reduction of DAVV’s land is beginning to threaten long-term academic expansion.
Over the past few years, multiple government and semi-government departments have occupied portions of university land for non-academic purposes without following proper procedures,” the letters state. The encroachments, they warn, are compromising campus safety, restricting space for academic growth, and delaying the establishment of new faculties, research institutes, hostels, sports complexes, and other educational infrastructure.
The letters particularly draw attention to areas like the UTD campus and RNT Marg campus and land adjoining IET-DAVV, where reports of illegal structures, commercial establishments, and permanent buildings have surfaced.
According to the letters, these encroachments are adversely affecting the university’s academic environment, restricting future planning, and undermining its long-term vision.
The teachers have called for urgent measures, including the removal of illegal constructions, stricter security arrangements, and the creation of a digital land mapping system to prevent future encroachments.
DAVV executive council member Dr Vaishali Wairkar also wrote a letter to vice chancellor Prof Rakesh Singhai emphasizing that the matter should be escalated to the Governor, the Chief Secretary, and other relevant state authorities to ensure immediate intervention. She highlighted that the continued reduction of the university’s land bank could hamper the growth of seven teaching departments and delay critical projects aimed at enhancing research and international collaboration.
The letters also urge a review of past allotments of university land to government and semi-government departments, including the municipal corporation, police department, and public works department (PWD), some of which have contributed to the shrinking of DAVV’s land holdings.
The support from DAVV teachers underscores a growing concern among academics that preserving the university’s land is essential not only for present-day requirements but also for future generations. “University land should serve as a resource for sustained academic development, student welfare, and global-level research activities,” the letters state.
