BU eyes 'milky way' to rein in unhealthy colas

Thirsty Bangalore University students will soon have healthy alternatives to drink. To wean away students from unhealthy aerated drinks, often the drink of choice, the university administration will be promoting the Karnataka Milk Federation's (KMF) Nandini products on campus.

The proposal to setup Nandini milk booths has already been green-lit by the university syndicate, which has given permission for four Nandini stalls at the Jnanabharati campus.

Currently, many shops inside the campus sell aerated drinks. The plan is to shut these shops and gradually provide more space for Nandini booths.

"This is being done to wean our students off aerated drinks by instilling healthy habits and to promote our own products," said BU vice-chancellor K R Venugopal, adding the KMF would decide whether to handle the booths directly or to allot it to vendors.

The outlets will be open from 6 am to 10 pm. If necessary and based on demand, the university will permit late-night operations as well.

Setting up Nandini milk booths was one of the long-pending demands of BU students. "As the KMF's Nandini products are cost-effective and affordable, we submitted requests to the university officials several times in this regard. We are happy that finally it is being considered," said Girisha, who is doing her post-graduation at the university.

UVCE canteen shut

The 40-year-old canteen at the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) is making way for a Nandini milk booth. According to the university, the canteen was shut as it was functioning without a permit.

"The owner of the canteen did not have the necessary legal permissions. For the time being a Nandini booth has been allotted to UVCE. In a few months, a better canteen will be provided to students," said Venugopal.