PU ‘car-free’ day no walk in park, chaos reigns on roads

CHANDIGARH: With unclear instructions on the first ‘car-free’ day in Panjab University (PU) on Friday, chaos ensued on the campus. Despite the varsity registrar, Y P Verma assuring that four-wheelers were not banned inside the campus, and this was merely a request to opt for public transport, a lack of clear communication lead to disruptions, mainly at gates 2 and 3 of varsity.

PU had ordered a ‘car-free’ day every last Friday after the NAAC recommended it to reduce the traffic on campus.

Cars throng campus market

With cars being stopped, huge traffic erupted at all entrance gates. Those who managed to pass the gates had to face the barricades a few meters ahead, forcing them to park the cars in the PU main market, further leading to traffic and impacting the footfall at around 50 shops here. Security guards reported around 2,000 cars concentrated near gate 2.

A shopkeeper in the market, Surender Mohan Anand said, “It's all messy here. There are no arrangements for the car influx. And it’s funny we were told not to bring our vehicles, but students are parking right in front of our shops.”

‘Shuttle service ineffective’

PU offers around 5-6 free shuttle buses and 35 e-rickshaws at Rs 10 per ride, inside the campus. But these buses are seldom seen inside the campus, with most students opting for the rickshaw rides.

An e-rickshaw driver said there was no increase in the students opting for the rides on Friday. A bus driver also shared that buses are mostly used by the non-teaching staff, and teachers and students opt for the e-rickshaws.

But the buses only run at specific timings, and the students have long demanded all-day-long services. “Instead of making all the six buses run at the same time, they should make them run in shifts the whole day,” said a student.

Even teachers had to face issues, and PUTA also issued a notice on Friday, asking the chief of security to “instruct his security staff to handle the situation as per the convenience of the employees”.

Some students happy, others angry

Friday witnessed less attendance in several classes, with students thronging the Student Centre. Meanwhile, students had mixed reactions to the initiative, with some praising the eco-friendly step, while others criticising the mismanagement. Many students also came on two-wheelers, in view of the notice.

PUCSC general secretary Deepak Goyat said, “Although we support it, mismanagement should not have been there. There was a lot of rush. We need more e-rickshaws... Many hostel cycles are also dysfunctional. These need to be resolved first.”

Meanwhile, dean, student welfare, Jatinder Grover maintained that the construction of a multilevel parking facility at varsity gates could be a potential solution to the issue.