5,000 students usher in 2014 in public transport
Students and staff of MG Science Institute and SM Patel Institute of Commerce will use bicycle or public transport today; while they would like to make it a monthly or more frequent affair, many of them have begun exploring vehicle pooling
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, January 01, 2014 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2014010120140101023024458e80036da/5000-students-usher-in-2014-in-public-transport.html
As the city reels from traffic woes and the world from environmental hazard, about 5,000 youngsters in two city colleges ring in New Year by using public transport. Encouraging them will be their teachers who, too, will give up their personal vehicles for the day.
About 2,000 students of MG Science Institute and 3,000 of SM Patel Institute of Commerce have added to the ‘college days’ something which, if replicated by other Amdavadis, holds the promise of easing the city’s traffic bottlenecks, pressure on fossil fuel and some relief to their wallets.
While MGSI begins its annual ‘college days’ with a ‘no (personal) vehicle day’SMPIC have scheduled it for the New Year day in the series of days that began on December 27 with ‘Traditional Day’ when students wore traditional clothes without any ‘props’.
Incidentally, MGSI end their celebrations with ‘Traditional Day’ on January 10. In between there will be signature, red, charity, back-to-school, charity and executive days. Also planned are sports and kit-flying days.
HONOURING SCHOOL TEACHERS
MG students also plan to invite some of their school teachers to the college and honour them on back-to-school day on January 4. Institute Principal B KJain will felicitate them. Said MG students General Secretary Farhin Patel, “Environment and traffic are among the most discussed topics these days among the youth and on the campus. Natural resources are under tremendous stress and increasing number of vehicles is only adding to the woes.”
The third year BSc biochemistry student added, “We zeroed down upon using public transport when we began discussing the environment. We in Ahmedabad have relatively good public transport. Especially the university area is well connected to the all parts of the city. We want to begin our New Year by using public transport so that it inspires us to use AMTS and ST buses whenever we can.”
A quick survey showed that of the 2000-ood students at MG Institute, about 1200 come to the college on two-wheelers. Some of them also use four-wheelers. “When we proposed the idea, it was immediately accepted by the students and the faculty. Many of my friends and I have never used public transport. Fort the time in my memory I shall be getting into a bus tomorrow (Wednesday),” Farhin said.
COULD BE A FREQUENT AFFAIR
Principal Jain said the college supported and encouraged the students. “We were very impressed with the concept when the students presented it to us. The entire staff accepted it immediately. I myself shall use state transport bus tomorrow to come to the college from my residence in Gandhinagar,” Prof Jain, who uses a car to commute, said.
He added the college would rather it became a frequent affair. “We do not want the idea to be a one-day event. We would try to institutionalize it and see if we can observe ‘public transport day’ more often, maybe every month or at some similar frequency.” Both students and the staff have started exploring ideas like car-pooling and sharing bikes to come to the college, Farhin said.
RESPONSE EAGERLY AWAITED
The students have also invited Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) Harikishan Patel and requested him to make the students aware of rules and inspire them to follow them. SMPIC Principal Ashwin Purohit said, “The students came up with the idea and we encouraged them. Even the college staff would join them in making their event a success.”
The college has about 3000 students who would either use bicycle or AMTS and ST buses. On making it a regular affair, he would rather wait and watch. “This is the first time that the students are celebrating ‘no-vehicle day’. Let us see how does it go. We can think of making it a regular affair depending on the response from the students and staff,” Prof Purohit added.
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, January 01, 2014 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2014010120140101023024458e80036da/5000-students-usher-in-2014-in-public-transport.html
As the city reels from traffic woes and the world from environmental hazard, about 5,000 youngsters in two city colleges ring in New Year by using public transport. Encouraging them will be their teachers who, too, will give up their personal vehicles for the day.
About 2,000 students of MG Science Institute and 3,000 of SM Patel Institute of Commerce have added to the ‘college days’ something which, if replicated by other Amdavadis, holds the promise of easing the city’s traffic bottlenecks, pressure on fossil fuel and some relief to their wallets.
While MGSI begins its annual ‘college days’ with a ‘no (personal) vehicle day’SMPIC have scheduled it for the New Year day in the series of days that began on December 27 with ‘Traditional Day’ when students wore traditional clothes without any ‘props’.
Incidentally, MGSI end their celebrations with ‘Traditional Day’ on January 10. In between there will be signature, red, charity, back-to-school, charity and executive days. Also planned are sports and kit-flying days.
HONOURING SCHOOL TEACHERS
MG students also plan to invite some of their school teachers to the college and honour them on back-to-school day on January 4. Institute Principal B KJain will felicitate them. Said MG students General Secretary Farhin Patel, “Environment and traffic are among the most discussed topics these days among the youth and on the campus. Natural resources are under tremendous stress and increasing number of vehicles is only adding to the woes.”
The third year BSc biochemistry student added, “We zeroed down upon using public transport when we began discussing the environment. We in Ahmedabad have relatively good public transport. Especially the university area is well connected to the all parts of the city. We want to begin our New Year by using public transport so that it inspires us to use AMTS and ST buses whenever we can.”
A quick survey showed that of the 2000-ood students at MG Institute, about 1200 come to the college on two-wheelers. Some of them also use four-wheelers. “When we proposed the idea, it was immediately accepted by the students and the faculty. Many of my friends and I have never used public transport. Fort the time in my memory I shall be getting into a bus tomorrow (Wednesday),” Farhin said.
COULD BE A FREQUENT AFFAIR
Principal Jain said the college supported and encouraged the students. “We were very impressed with the concept when the students presented it to us. The entire staff accepted it immediately. I myself shall use state transport bus tomorrow to come to the college from my residence in Gandhinagar,” Prof Jain, who uses a car to commute, said.
He added the college would rather it became a frequent affair. “We do not want the idea to be a one-day event. We would try to institutionalize it and see if we can observe ‘public transport day’ more often, maybe every month or at some similar frequency.” Both students and the staff have started exploring ideas like car-pooling and sharing bikes to come to the college, Farhin said.
RESPONSE EAGERLY AWAITED
The students have also invited Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) Harikishan Patel and requested him to make the students aware of rules and inspire them to follow them. SMPIC Principal Ashwin Purohit said, “The students came up with the idea and we encouraged them. Even the college staff would join them in making their event a success.”
The college has about 3000 students who would either use bicycle or AMTS and ST buses. On making it a regular affair, he would rather wait and watch. “This is the first time that the students are celebrating ‘no-vehicle day’. Let us see how does it go. We can think of making it a regular affair depending on the response from the students and staff,” Prof Purohit added.
