Thane municipal corporation’s ‘forced conversion’ angers college

THANE: The 13-acre campus of the Thane College run by the Vidya Prasarak Mandal was acquired, “forcibly” according to the management, by the Thane Municipal Corporation for conversion into a quarantine zone on Tuesday.
The college management complained that a mere 24 hours was given to it to get out of the campus and, as a consequence of the chaotic events of the day, feared there would be a delay in evaluating university exam papers.
College officials said the municipal officials came accompanied by the police and “gate-crashed” into their campus in Naupada ward with orders to acquire the premises holding 10 buildings and their conversion into a quarantine zone.
The management objected to the threat of action under the Epidemics Act and questioned the manner of acquisition, claiming the college would have cooperated had it been given reaonsable time.