Calicut University ignores safety concerns, to open public park on campus

Kozhikode: In a blatant violation of the recommendations of two high-level committees constituted to probe into the incidents of harassment of girl students and safety issues on campus, the Calicut University is all set to open an adventure sports park, granting full access to the public inside the varsity campus.
This comes at the time when the two varsity appointed committees had recommended barring access to the public at the existing university park itself.The new adventure park, set up next to the university park, is slated for inauguration on Friday.
The students of the varsity had complained of rising incidents of harassment on the campus and had cited unrestricted access for public to the park as one of the main reasons for the untoward incidents.
Students said that the new move will lead to more influx of outsiders to the park, thereby exacerbating the already precarious safety situation on campus.
Although the facility is billed as an adventure sports park, the facilities listed to be set up at the park are mainly obstacle course activities like burma bridge, commando net, hanging ladder, tunnel crawling, etc meant to attract youth from nearby areas. The varsity is planning to charge Rs 25 per head.
Head of the physical education department Sakeer Hussain V P said that CU is the first varsity to set up such a facility in the state. "It would provide added attraction for the public to visit the park. Facilities like roller skating would be introduced in the next phase," he said.
Prof K Gopinathan, convenor of the seven-member committee of heads of departments which had submitted its report on enhancing student safety on the campus, said that setting up new attractions for public on the campus would worsen the security situation.
N Neethu, a PG student of English department, said that the decision by the varsity to grant further access to the public reflected the flawed priorities of the varsity. "While the varsity has failed to act on the recommendations to enhance safety on campus, the move to spent lakhs of rupees to set up new facilities to attract more outsiders is really unfortunate. It is clear that the adventure park is meant for outside public as none of the varsity students would go there to do those activities, that too by paying a fee," she said.