MUMBAI, July 23: The University of Mumbai is planning to set up counselling centres at its campus and city colleges.

Speaking to Express Newsline Vice-Chancellor Dr Snehalata Deshmukh today said the urgency was specially felt in the aftermath of the death of 23-year-old distance-education student Megha Nazare, who on her failure in BA exams committed suicide in the women's toilet at the university's Fort campus on Monday.

``Talks are on with the government regarding setting up of counselling centres at the campuses and colleges as it involves creation of a post and its consequent financial obligations,'' said the Vice-Chancellor.

Pending the state government's permission, a makeshift counselling centre will be opened before August 15 at the premier university's Fort campus, on the line of the grievance centre. It will be manned by university officials and also draw necessary expertise from the university's psychology department, stated Deshmukh.

In the event of the state government turning down the university's proposal on counselling centres at educational institutions, Deshmukh is determined to operate a counselling centre at the Fort campus independently.

To gear up for the occasion, Deshmukh will soon convene a meeting with the principals of the few city colleges that run counselling centres. Beside, she will also be inviting five third-year degree students from each college to identify psychological stress they undergo.

The president of the Association of Non-Government Colleges (ANGC) and Principal of Lala Lajpat Rai College, M G Shirahatti told Express Newsline, ``Six months ago, some of the city principals were invited at Raj Bhavan. Here we proposed the idea of a vocational guidance and counselling centre for the colleges before the director and secretary of technical and higher education, K P Sonawane and N L Lakhanpal.''

This meeting was prompted more because of the rising AIDS menace among college students, Shirahatti observed, adding that the proposal is still under consideration. The death of Nazare, which was the first such incident in the city, prompted ANGC to renew its pledge for counselling centres at the colleges, he added.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.