This is a Letter of Appeal on behalf of Muslim NGO's regarding handover of Ismail Yusuf College Land to a Muslim Educational Trust.

About the institute and Land:
Ismail Yusuf College was established in 1930 in Jogeshwari through an endowment made by Sir Mohammed Yusuf Ismail in 1914.Ismail Yusuf College, is the fourth oldest college of Mumbai, India.It is the oldest college in North Mumbai. It was established in with a big treasure-trove of donation from Sir Mohammed Yusuf Ismail,K.T. on Jogeshwari Hill.The foundation stone was laid by Sir Leslie
Orme Wilson, Governor of Bombay in 1924.The vision of founding fathers was to shape up a institute of learning in the sandstone in the regal persion style with arches and specious corridors.The aim
for setting up the college which was spread over an area of 120 acre was to provide and promote higher education among the Muslims, but students belonging to other religious communities were also
to be admitted.

Current Status of the Land:
In the last 85 years the land of the college has shrunk, with parts being given to facilitate infrastructure projects while a large chunk has been encroached upon. Originally the campus was spread over 120 acres of land but today it has shrunk to about 54 acres due to encroachment by neighboring slum-dwellers and housing societies, construction of Western Express Highway bisecting the land under college control and the grant of land by the Government of Maharashtra to a private society for the establishment of an educational institution, now called Arvind Gandbhir High School.

As part of latest development, the state has decided that it will allot a part of the 65 acre campus for a National Law University and an educational hub.Various petitions have been filed in the Court to reverse the allotments that have been made by the state government.The Muslim Education Trusts of Maharashtra for the last 65 years are demanding that this college and it’s land may be returned to the Muslim community but the previous governments turned a blind eye and kept giving false promises about handing over the land.

Dr.Mahmoodur Rahman Committee Report to Maharashtra Govt:
Dr. Mahmoodur Rahman Committee which was constituted on 6th May 2008 to examine the socio-economic situation of Muslims in Maharashtra.has submitted its report on the Conditions of Muslims in
Maharashtra to the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra.Six Members committee, headed by the retired bureaucrat, Dr. Mahmoodur Rahman, became dormant after initially submitting its interim report in
2008.The commitee noted that quality of the existing schools in Muslim concentrated areas is reprehensible and in no way the schools have the capacity to allow the talent to blossom.The group noted that there is a desire in the community for formal education. It recommended to establish quality institutions in Muslim areas.

On the long pending demand of Ismail Yusuf College, report said, “Many Muslims, individual and organization demanded the management of Ismail Yusuf College, situated in Mumbai.” It also observes that, “the original land has got reduced due to construction of roads and railway track.Committee recommends the handing over of the Management of Ismail Yusuf College to the Anjuman-e-Islam or alternatively to a new management committee, like the Mills at Dadar was handed over for the Ambedkar Memorial to meet public demand."

Our Appeal on behalf of Muslims NGO's:
We urge to our Honorable Chief Minister that, as the educational status in the Muslim community is precarious, the institute should be used to facilitate growth of education in the community and should be handed over to any good Muslim education trust to setup quality educational institutes in the campus.We also appeal Respectable minister Ravindra Waikar, who represents the constituency under which the college comes to help in clearing up the proposal for the handover of the land to Muslim trusts.

Modern Youth Association