University of Pune steps up campus security

The University of Pune (UoP) has finally enhanced security measures after pondering over it for two months.

From this week, there will be barricades at the major entrances to the university and motorists will have to get themselves registered at the gate.u00a0

Up to eight guards are being deployed at the gates with the help of the Shivajinagar police. The university has also made separate entrances for regular students and visitors at the gate. "Starting from today, every vehicle entering from the main gate will be checked and students, besides having to flash their ID cards, will have to sign in the register. The visitors will also have to write out the reasons for which they would be entering the university," said a senior official from the university. "The visitors entering the campus will have to state the department they want to visit while their names and numbers of their vehicles will be noted down."u00a0

The university last November had enhanced security measures at the rear gates, where the entry of outside vehicles was restricted completely with the guards allowing only those vehicles which either had a sticker of the UoP or an ID card.u00a0

"It is being done to keep track of every vehicle entering the UoP campus. Earlier there was no record of cars and bikes entering the campus," said a guard.u00a0Security at the UoP has been undergoing a major overhaul since the police authorities directed the university administration to implement its own security system.u00a0

Higher officials of the university have also sent a proposal to install over 100 CCTV cameras and other equipment on the campus. Security measures have also been enhanced at the entrance of each department, where students will have to list their names and ID in the register. u00a0 u00a0

In accordance with the guidelines given by the police, the university is in the process of building a permanent chowky, installing barricades, recording the entry and exit of every vehicle at the gates and installing CCTV cameras at every building on the premises.u00a0"We still haven't decided the cost, but we will be enhancing all safety measures step by step," said the official.u00a0