Three battery-operated vehicles to be introduced at Manasagangothri

MYSURU: Manasagangothri, the postgraduate campus of the University of Mysore (UoM) is spread across a staggering 700 acres, and travelling from one department to the other within the premises is nothing short of a small journey.
Until 2015, three buses of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation’s (KSRTC) Mysuru urban division plied within the campus, and they would promptly halt at the varsity canteen. However, as part of the UoM’s eco-friendly initiatives, not to mention security concerns, the varsity management put a stop to these services. However, many staff members, particularly the elderly and vulnerable sections among the students, were among those who have been hit badly as a result.

The newly appointed vice-chancellor to UoM, Prof G Hemantha Kumar has taken note of this inconvenience that personnel and students are subjected to, and in a bid to provide relief, has decided to operate three battery-operated vehicles inside the Manasagangothri campus. For more than three years since the suspension of bus services inside the campus, both students and staff have repeatedly complained to the varsity management about the difficulties involved in commuting inside the premises. Now, the three vehicles, which will strategically be placed at the three entrances to the campus – the one opposite SJCE, Kuvempu statue and Senate Bhavan – will ferry staff and students alike for all of Rs 5 to any department or any place within the premises.

“Manasagangothri is a vast campus. So, in order to help the elderly, and parents of students in getting from one place to the other, we have rolled out this initiative. If we operate bigger vehicles, the environment will get polluted, which is why we have decided to operate eco-friendly electrical vehicles,” Prof Kumar told TOI.

Students are understandably pleased with the VC’s decision to provide transport within the campus. Madan Mohan, a second year MBA student at Rani Bahadhur Institute, UoM, said that, besides the elderly, many students faced difficulties in going from one department to the other. “If these battery-operated vehicles are introduced, it will be a huge relief for both students and the public,” he said.

Electric vehicles a hit at zoo, railway station

Battery-operated vehicles, which have already been rolled out at famous tourist hotspots such as Mysuru Zoo and Mysore Palace are immensely popular among the public. Besides these famous locations, the facility is also available at the Mysuru City railway Station, and one can see the elderly making use of these vehicles, which can ferry them between platforms with no hassles. These vehicles are also used inside the Infosys Mysuru campus.