Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has said that educational institutions in the city would not be allowed to shut down just to facilitate construction of lucrative commercial or residential buildings.

The Chief Minister was speaking at a function organized at the Sathaye College in Vile Parle.

The CM's statement came in the backdrop of the fact that there have been instances of institutions shutting down to facilitate usage of land for commercial purposes.

"People don't want to run colleges now. There is a growing trend where college managements request the government to change the user of the land," Deshmukh said.

Deshmukh, however, made it clear that the government has taken a serious view of this 'growing trend', and any such change of user will not be given a free hand in future.

The minister also clarified that there will be no change in reservation on the land where educational institutions exist.

Last year, two colleges in Andheri - Chinai College and MVLU College, closed down their junior college divisions. Later, with the High Court's intervention, students were admitted to the 11th standard in both the colleges.