Sign pledge against using motorised vehicles: IISc

BENGALURU: Aiming to keep the campus green, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) will ask students seeking admission to sign an undertaking not to use motorised vehicles.

The move is part of a series of initiatives to maintain the greenery and ensure the air is pollution-free. “Ours is the only large area with a green cover this side of the city,” said an IISc source. “We wouldn’t like to lose it. With students’ cooperation, vehicle usage could almost completely be eliminated and used only during an emergency.”

The Institute’s students council approached the management with the idea of getting an undertaking to reduce vehicle usage.

It encourages cycling on campus by an initiative called ‘Pedal’, offering bicycles on rent to the students. Even researchers cycle between the different buildings in the campus.

The undertaking asks the student not to “own or use a motorised vehicle on campus” and agree to use “a bicycle of my own or use PEDL system” to hire a cycle for on-campus mobility. “I shall abide by the norms of the Institute, and the decision taken by the Institute Administration in case of violation in this regard," the undertaking reads.

The undertaking signed by students also states that they fully understand the Institute’s norms that they are prohibited from using motorized vehicles on campus and the PEDAL system is in place –for a nominal fee- to facilitate movement inside the campus.

During the previous science day, IISc introduced E-rickshaws across the campus on a pilot basis. “Since the response is great, the Institute has decided to procure three of them in a month or two,” said Gaurav, former general secretary, IISc Students Council. E-rickshaws would help ferry students who cannot use bicycles inside the campus.

The source said though a complete ban of vehicles is not on the cards, the management would be approached to implement the total ban in a phased manner.