The University of Mumbai (MU) has chucked an idea of buying an aircraft after objections from various quarters forced the body to rethink the decision.
MU instead will use the aircrafts of the Bombay Flying Club (BFC) with which it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Friday.
Earlier in February 2016, MU vice-chancellor Dr. Sanjay Deshmukh had announced that the body intended to buy an aircraft for the yet-to-be-launched course in BSc (aviation and commercial flying) at the Garware Institute in collaboration with the BFC.
However, various student organizations and academic groups objected to the futility of the idea and termed it as ‘wasting university funds’.
The BFC however assured that it would have dedicated aircrafts it required for its students.
Also the MOU signed on Friday has clarified that the MU students will have the practical flying training at the flying strip at Dhule with the BFC making sure that they would assign aircrafts so that students get hands on experience which is part of the course.
Sources in the university said that the amount that was to be invested in buying the aircraft would be utilized for ‘improvement of other facilities’.
Senate members and student unions had opposed the buying of the aircraft and claimed victory when told about the decision to drop the idea.
A former senate said that the university does not have enough ‘expertise’ to maintain the aircraft and that the maintenance cost would have been too high to bear for the university adding that everyone was pleased with the decision.
