Governor Fazal wants a space university in Mumbai

Maharashtra governor Mohammad Fazal, who has proposed setting up a university for biotechnology in Nagpur, is now aiming for the moon. He has sought the setting up of a university offering degree courses in space sciences in Mumbai city.

Confirming this, a secretariat source told Business Standard, "The governor has written to the state government seeking the setting up of a space university which in the first phase will start offering degree courses in space sciences from the Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur universities. After assessing the success of the course in terms of the number of admissions to these courses, phase two will seek to set up the space university in Mumbai city."

The three-year degree course would offer comprehensive and globally competent education in space sciences to aspiring scientists. Once the initiative is successful, the university would also offer post-graduation courses in the subject.

Fazal has recently also sought the setting up of a university in Napgur that he hopes to house in the premises of the Nagpur Raj Bhavan complex. The complex remains empty for most part of the year except the one month of his stay there in a year.

The Maharashtra governor has been interacting on a regular basis with different state government departments on various developmental and social infrastructure issues, having sent over 300 missives to the state since he took over the gubernatorial post from erstwhile governor P C Alexander.

His initiatives include the recent setting up of a state-of-the-art swimming club-cum-gymnasium facility for Raj Bhavan employees, a proposal for construction of 14-storied residential tower that would provide free houses for these employees, seeking the legalisation of prostitution in Mumbai city and in a shift from earlier precedent allowing films to be shot on the verdant locales within the Raj Bhavan premises in Mumbai.