Traffic, safety issues spur changes at UoP

PUNE: The University of Pune is gearing up to give its iconic entrance a complete revamp. The main gate of the varsity will soon be extended at least 150 feet along Ganeshkhind Road, allowing for separate entrance and exit lanes for pedestrians and vehicles from the university. Automated access for enhanced security, wider inner roads and beautified landscapes within the campus are also part of the overhaul plan.
The redesign plan, mooted by the security committee of the university after the on-campus murder of a patrol guard in November 2013, is already approved in-principle and is awaiting the final budgetary approvals. On-ground work is likely to be completed within 18 months.
As per the new design, the main gate would be approximately 180-feet long (current length is barely 30 feet), and will extend till the boundary wall of the corporation school, before the road running along the entrance of Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM), in front of the UoP bus-stop.
Authorised personnel will be able to enter and exit the premises by crossing boom barriers automated by Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cards issued on their name. Frequent and first-time visitors will be issued temporary RFID cards against identification documents which will help the security team track their movement. All activity at the gate will be monitored through high-resolution security cameras.
"The proposal, designed to combine better traffic management with security, was approved almost six months ago. Actual work will begin as soon as the monetary green-signal is granted. Due care has been taken that no one is inconvenienced while the work is being done," said R V Patil, the executive engineer of University of Pune, who has worked on the actual design of the project.
Plans for five dedicated lanes for cars and seven for two-wheelers, besides five exclusively for pedestrians, hope to combat congestion and traffic chaos. Internal roads of the campus will be widened (from the entrance all the way till Ayuka gate on the other end to allow for evacuation of as many as 5,000 people in one hour.
The student facilitation centre, currently located near the entrance, will be relocated near the Aniket canteen. Beautification of the campus and the construction of footpaths will also be undertaken simultaneously to improve aesthetics.
"After the introduction of the biometric system of attendance, many had been complaining of delays because of heavy traffic at and around the UoP junction. With the new system, traffic movement in and out of the University will be eased, Vijaya Dahiphale, former senate member of the university (non-teaching staff) said.
"We are also in talks with traffic police and the corporator to allow vehicles coming from Shivajinagar to turn right into the campus from the UoP junction between 9-11am which will save both time and petrol," he said, adding that opening of the Millennium Gate for UoP people coming from Aundh side is being considered, but is fraught with security issues.