Maharashtra: Cultural Department asks Urdu Sahitya Academy to vacate govt premises

Mumbai: After the Maha Yuti government’s Cultural Department ordered the Urdu Sahitya Academy to vacate its premises, Samajwadi Party legislator Rais Shaikh has written to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Minority Development Minister Datta Bharane, urging them to immediately stay the eviction notice.

The Urdu Sahitya Academy currently operates from the Old Custom House, a government building in the Fort area.

The complex also houses the Mumbai City Collectorate office.

“The Cultural Affairs Department has directed the Urdu Academy to shift to a rented space. This year marks the golden jubilee of the Urdu Academy. Evicting the Academy from government premises in such a manner is deeply regrettable. While academies for languages have been allotted spacious government premises, the Urdu Academy is being treated unfairly,” said Shaikh.

According to him, four out of the seven staff positions at the Academy remain vacant, and the appointments of all members are still pending.

“The office of the Urdu Academy should be relocated only after a suitable government space becomes available in the Mantralaya area. The vacant staff posts must be filled immediately, the appointments of the members must be completed, and the Academy’s annual funding should be increased to Rs 5 crore,” Shaikh added.

Shaikh also pointed out that although Rs 2 crore was allocated last year, the Academy received only Rs 16 lakh. “To rent a space in the Mantralaya area, the Academy would require Rs 20 lakh per month,” said Shaikh.

The Urdu Academy was established in 1975 by then Chief Minister Shankarrao Chavan, with the aim of promoting ideological exchange between Marathi and Urdu literature. Shankarrao Chavan was also the first president of the Academy. Since 1996, the Academy’s office has been located in the premises of the Cultural Affairs Department in the Old Custom House in the Fort area.