By News18
The Mahayuti government鈥檚 decision to evict the Urdu Sahitya Academy from its decades-old premises in Mumbai鈥檚 Fort area has triggered sharp reactions, with Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Rais Shaikh stepping in to demand an immediate rollback.
For nearly five decades, the Urdu Sahitya Academy has operated from the historic 鈥極ld Custom House鈥 building, under the Cultural Affairs Department. But now, as it marks its golden jubilee year, the academy has received an order asking it to vacate and shift operations to a rented space 鈥 a decision that many in the Urdu literary community see as deeply unfair.
In a strongly worded letter to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Minority Development Minister Datta Bharane, Shaikh said it was shocking that while other language academies have been given ample government premises, the Urdu Academy is being pushed out without an alternative.
鈥淔our of the seven staff posts are lying vacant, member appointments are pending, and now this eviction 鈥 it鈥檚 insulting for an institution that has worked for decades to build a bridge between Marathi and Urdu literature,鈥 he said.
Shaikh has demanded that the academy be relocated only when a suitable government-owned space is found near Mantralaya. He has also asked for immediate action to fill vacant staff posts, finalise pending appointments, and increase annual funding from Rs 2 crore to at least Rs 5 crore.
Highlighting the lack of support, Shaikh pointed out that although Rs 2 crore was allocated last year, the academy got just Rs 16 lakh. If forced to rent private space near Mantralaya, it would cost the academy nearly Rs 20 lakh every month 鈥 an expense it simply cannot bear.
Founded in 1975 by then Chief Minister Shankarrao Chavan 鈥 who was also its first president 鈥 the academy was meant to promote cultural dialogue between Marathi and Urdu. Since 1996, it has operated from the Old Custom House under the Cultural Department鈥檚 wing.
Writers and supporters worry that shifting to a costly rented office could weaken the academy鈥檚 work and push the promotion of Urdu literature to the sidelines. As the golden jubilee year begins, they hope the state government listens to Shaikh鈥檚 plea and ensures that the academy stays where it belongs.