For 19 yrs, fisheries college in Konkan not shifted to Mafsu

Nagpur: Though the Maharashtra Animal Fisheries Sciences and Fisheries University (Mafsu) based in the city was established on December 3, 2000, for fisheries and veterinary sciences courses, a fisheries college in Konkan region is yet to be affiliated with it for nearly two decades now.
Taking cognisance of this lapse from the Maharashtra government, the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed it to immediately shift the affiliation of ‘College of Fisheries’ in Shirgaon in Ratnagiri to Mafsu.
For all these years, the college was affiliated to Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth (DBSKKV) in Dapoli. Despite its own call for shifting affiliation of all colleges offering veterinary sciences and fisheries courses to Mafsu, the government hadn’t transferred affiliation of this college.
A division bench comprising justices Sunil Shukre and Pushpa Ganediwala asked the government to take corrective measures on the petitioners’ allegations that degrees offered by Shirgaon college could be invalid, as it failed to seek affiliation from Mafsu, which was set up with a special purpose of offering courses related to veterinary research and extension and fisheries.
The Shirgaon-based college offers Bachelor of Fishery Sciences (BFSc), Master of Fishery Sciences (MFSc) and PhD in fisheries with 45, 31 and 9 seats respectively.
The plea was filed by fathers of students studying in the college through counsel Bhanudas Kulkarni. They contended that the college concerned can’t remain affiliated to the Dapoli-based university when a specialized institution has been established by the government for the purpose.
The petitioners — Riaz Hafiz Baig, Pallavi Deshmukh, Sanjay Garpawar, Narendra Bawankule and Laxman Chavhan — contended that fisheries as a subject was omitted from the ‘Maharashtra Agricultural Universities Krishi Vidyapeeths Act, 1983’ after formation of Mafsu in 2000. Subsequently, all colleges in Maharashtra offering those courses were shifted to the city-based university, except Shirgaon college.
Terming continuation of college’s affiliation with the DBSKKV as “illegal”, the petitioners pointed out that it was in clear violation of the Mafsu Act. They also claimed that fisheries degrees offered by the Dapoli university to the students for all these years since 2000 could also become invalid, when the subject was removed from ‘Maharashtra Agricultural Universities Krishi Vidyapeeths Act’. They also questioned DBSKKV authorities on continuing affiliation to the college and offering degrees in fisheries, when they were not authorized to do so.
State secretary for Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandries, Dairy Development and Fisheries, Maharashtra Council for Agriculture Education and Research through its director general, Mafsu registrar, DBSKKV registrar and College of Agriculture dean were made respondents in the case.
During the last hearing on April 8, the HC had granted last chance to the respondents to file reply. “Considering the fact that this petition involves interpretation of the statutory provisions, it would be better it should be kept for final disposal at admission stage on the next date. Meanwhile, it’s made clear that opportunity so granted to the respondents who have not filed reply, shall be availed by them. If reply is not filed, this court would pass appropriate orders in the matter,” the judges had warned.
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