Government-run education and research institutions with trees are a sought-after destination for walkers – be it the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB) or the Bharathiar University. But the fee the institutions demand, it appears, has not gone down well with a few.
The question they posed: why should institutions that run on public money restrict their campuses.
The issue has cropped after the Bharathiar University recently told morning walkers that its ground or campus was available only for those who paid the annual fee of Rs. 600.
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Sources in the university say that a committee formed for the purpose took the decision to restrict entry after students complained of outsiders in their midst, a problem broke out between a group of students and the university’s hostel students and theft of students’ laptops.
Identity card
The university collects the money through bank, the process is transparent and also issues identity card to those who pay to restrict entry, they add.
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The IFGTB, too, collects money from walkers. And, the number of people who are allowed to use its campus between five and seven in the mornings and evenings is restricted. In fact, the IFGTB administration has stopped issuing applications and only renews permits, sources say.
It charges Rs. 4,000 for a permit with two years validity.
The other two sought-after institutions Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Government College of Technology have not opened their gates to walkers for security reasons. Both have hostels for women.
Walkers, mostly middle-aged men and women and senior citizens, say they prefer the education institutions because it offers safety.
“Walking on or alongside roads in the mornings is difficult as that is when vehicles move at speeds that is uncomfortable for walkers,” says C.V.V. Rathnam, a resident of Vadavalli.
Pollution
In education institutions, there is no fear of that sort. Plus, there the walkers are far away from noise and dust pollution, says D. Kesavan, a walker at the IFGTB.
More so for the women as they need not fear chain-snatchers, he adds.
But a few people like Mr. Rathnam and his neighbour C.V. Ganesh want the institutions to open their gates without fee because they run on public money. A few others disagree, though.
R.V. Ramani of Sankara Eye care Institutions, a regular at the IFGTB, says that the fee is to sieve the sincere walkers from others and the money charged is used for the institutions’ upkeep, the very reason why walkers flock there.
The institutions’ representatives also say that they chose to levy a fee only after a few bad experiences.
TNAU and Government College of Technology have not opened their gates to walkers for security reasons