Andhra University joined the drive against pollution and for clean environment by observing no-vehicle day on the campus on Tuesday. AU will observe the day on the last day of every month from now.
In the absence of Vice-Chancellor G.S.N. Raju, who planned the no-vehicle day on campus but had to rush to Hyderabad to attend an important meeting, Rector A.V. Prasada Rao and Registrar K. Rama Mohana Rao saw to it that the programme was launched successfully. Vehicles were not allowed on the campus from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They led a rally of teachers, employees and students from the in-gate to the Central Administrative Office building. Principals of Science and Technology, pharmacy and law V. Veerayya, Ganapathi and Kesava Rao respectively, NSS Coordinator N.A.D. Pal, president of AU Teachers Association Purnachandra Rao and several senior faculty members were present.
All entry points into the campus were closed for vehicles and those who came by vehicles had to park them outside the campus and walk to their department or office. With most of the students of AU staying in hostels and girls reaching the campus by university buses, it was not much different for them as they walked just a little over their usual distance to their departments while the faculty and employees had to stop their vehicles outside the campus. The girls hostel buses were stopped out side the campus not far away from the usual dropping point.
Students, faculty and employees of arts, science, pharmacy and law colleges did not face much difficulty but their counterparts in AU College of Engineering had a difficult time, particularly students appearing for the examinations. Both sides of the “AU engineering college road”, at Maddilapalem and on the Registrar’s office road were closed and students coming by vehicles faced difficulty as they could not drive straight to the Examinations Building where the examinations were held. This road is used by many outsiders as it is a convenient short cut from Waltair side to Maddilapalem but on Tuesday they had to take a circuitous route via Siripuram and VIP road.
