B’lore varsity to ban night traffic on campus
Frequent incidents of chain snatching reported from the area
Even as traders from Kerala are raising a hue and cry over the ban on night traffic through Bandipur National Park, Bangalore University (BU) is all set to enforce a night traffic ban on its Jnana Bharati campus to prevent traffic accidents and to check crime.
A proposal for banning night traffic will be placed before the academic bodies for approval, said Vice-Chancellor Prabhu Deva. Four huge gates are being installed at the entrances of the varsity to regulate traffic during the day and to stop it at night.
Illegal activities
“We are worried about several problems here. The campus spread over a vast area is turning a haven for criminals. Even the police are helpless. We have decided upon the ban on night traffic particularly to prevent all kinds of illegal activities and speeding vehicles,” said Prabhu Deva, Vice Chancellor, Bangalore University.
Located on a sprawling 1,100 acres, the university has been a haven for several illegal activities such as rape, murders, robbery, theft, chain-snatching and sandalwood smuggling since it was established in 1970s.
Several crime incidents in the past reflect the vulnerable situation of this region, the most serious being the April 2005 gangrape of the wife of a labourer in front of her children by four taxi drivers. Frequent reports of chain snatching were reported in 2009.
People were robbed by miscreants on motorcycle. The body of a murdered man was found near Gandhi Study centre in the University in 2008. An abandoned new born baby was also found here in 2008, which is now being adopted by an university employee.
Drag racing
While the wooded area is prone to crime at night, the morning sees another menace. Several cases of morning walkers are being knocked down by the speeding vehicles have been reported.
Drag racing by speed-crazy youngsters has also resulted in many accidents.
“We are also planning to check the speed of the vehicles by installing rumblers or road humps,” VC added.
The four gates are being installed at the four entrances to the BU campus - one connecting Papa Reddy Pallya near the men’s hostel, the second connecting the ring road near the administrative block, the third at the main entrance on Mysore road and the last one near National Law School of India University connecting the university to the Nagarbhavi circle.
