While Vice-Chancellor N Prabhu Dev is believed to have opposed the move, his predecessors, too, are not happy with the proposed bifurcation plan.
Agreeing to the need for setting up one more university, former Vice-Chancellors N R Shetty and M S Thimappa have not favoured the splitting of the varsity property.
“Splitting the historic Central College from the Jnanabharathi campus is like separating the heart from the head. The university, as it stands now, should be left intact, and in turn, the State government should allot extra land and additional buildings and faculty for the new university,” Shetty said.
According to Thimappa, if the State government is serious about reducing BU’s burden, it should develop a totally independent university. “Of course, bifurcation will help in the speedy conduct of examinations and other administrative matters,” he added.
As per the plan, said to have been approved by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, BU will be split into two — Bangalore University and Bangalore South University. Both universities will retain the name of the City.
Affiliated colleges in Bangalore North taluk of Bangalore Urban district and Hoskote, Devanahalli, and Doddaballapur taluks of Bangalore Rural district will come under the new BU. Besides, it will also get affiliated colleges in Chikkaballapur and Kolar districts.
Bangalore South University, in contrast, will have jurisdiction over colleges in Bangalore South, East, and Anekal taluks of Bangalore Urban District, and Nelamangala taluk of Bangalore Rural district.
Further, colleges under Ramanagara district will also come under it.
Bangalore South University will have Jnanabharathi as its main campus whereas the new BU new will operate out of the Central College so long as a fully developed 200-acre campus does not come up at Hoskote.
The University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering and departments and teachers will be split equally between the two universities.
Prabhu Dev was not available for comments on the latest developments.