Insiders say it's a bid to stop staff from breaking wall for a short cut and getting thrashed by army men for trespass
Insiders say it's a bid to stop staff from breaking wall for a short cut and getting thrashed by army men for trespassThe University of Pune (UoP) passed a circular two days ago announcing that its General BC Joshi Gate, popularly known as the Khadki gate, which was shut a year ago because of heavy vehicular movement, will now be opened. Only, the use of the gate will be limited to university employees.
Show your i-card: The General BC Joshi Gate will be open now, but only
for people who work at the university. Pic/Chetan GandleWhile you might say the opening of the gate is an insignificant bit of information for those who are not UoP staffers, what is interesting is the reason behind the passing of the circular. Even though the official line remains that the decision was taken for the convenience of UoP staffers, insiders say the truth is that the opening of the gate is a bid to prevent employees from getting thrashed by army men.
"This gate was being excessively used by outsiders to commute from the varsity to Khadki and the adjacent areas. That's why it was closed; it was disturbing university students and security. But after that, staffers, especially those residing in nearby areas like Sewak Vihar, broke a portion of the adjoining compound wall to get across," said a source, requesting anonymity.
The source added that the problem was that the adjoining area was owned by the Southern Command and using that road meant a case of trespass. He said seeing university staffers on defence property on a daily basis angered army personnel patrolling the area.
"Our men got beaten up a few times, as despite requests they didn't stop going over the defence property. Many found it worth taking the risk as the route was convenient," said another security staff member, also requesting anonymity.
Registrar M L Jadhav, the signing authority on the circular, refused to give details of past incidents, saying the move to open the gate was merely for the convenience of employees. "Use of the gate was stopped because of excessive traffic and is now being started again for employees," he said. "That's all there is to it."
