Utkal univ move to shut VSS Nagar gate draws protest

Bhubaneswar: Utkal University has closed the gate from the side of VSS Nagar, stopping movement of four wheelers, and resulting in protest from Veer Surendra Sai Nagar Unayan Parishad against the university decision.
Parishad general secretary Dilip Dash Sharma said the university put a notice on the VSS Nagar entrance gate on Monday, announcing its closure on Sundays and holidays.
“But the very next day, workers engaged by the university dug up the gate and a wall was put up there on Wednesday,” Sharma said.
“When VSS Nagar came up in 1978, many university staff used to stay in the housing board colony in our locality. Many of them got quarters here. The gate was opened for them. But now the university suddenly closed it. We will protest this move,” Sharma added.
He also alleged that the university has encroached upon VSS Nagar land by building a boundary wall.
“We have space between Laxmi Vihar and VSS Nagar, but the university has built the boundary wall on our land, closing the road to Acharya Vihar. The university cannot evict encroachers from inside the campus, but it can close the gate and brand us as outsiders,” he added.
Utkal University registrar Avaya Kumar Nayak said students and staff had been complaining about rash driving on this side of the gate. “There were some accidents as well due to rash driving. Besides, some outsiders had also stolen equipment used for water taps and pipes,” Nayak said.
Recently, a meeting of the development committee was held. “The committee took a decision to permanently close the entry of four-wheelers by constructing a wall,” he added.
He said the small gate is still open to the public (except for Sundays and holidays).
“We will review the traffic through the narrow gate after a month. If we find no change in the situation, we may turn it a pedestrian-only space or close it permanently,” Nayak said. Meanwhile, Utkal University will come up with a new gate from Vani Vihar square side.
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