Two granted colleges at the CU Shah campus on Ashram Road, Ahmedabad, have remained shut since 2022, sparking concerns over alleged privatisation plans. Sources claim the management may permanently close the colleges and redevelop the land for commercial use.
For the past three years, students affiliated with Gujarat University have had to seek admissions in private institutions due to these closures. The colleges, including a commerce college near the Income Tax office, had applied for new admissions citing building safety concerns. While the university initially approved the applications, the Gujarat High Court later ordered their removal from admission lists. Since then, no new students have been admitted, and existing batches have completed their courses.
Sources say that the college trustees changed three to four years ago, and the new management has allegedly neglected student interests, fueling fears of permanent closure. The current management claims the buildings are dilapidated, proposing new construction within five years. A municipal-approved structural report reportedly confirmed unsafe conditions, and some laboratory buildings have already collapsed.
Renovation work on the remaining structures is expected to begin soon, with the management insisting the colleges will not close permanently. Meanwhile, the government has ordered affected teachers and staff to be transferred to other granted institutions temporarily.
Critics, however, allege that the structural report may have been used to justify closure and warn that similar inspections across the state could threaten many other government and granted educational institutions.