The Hindu : New Delhi News : Campus Jottings

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 16, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Campus Jottings

Crackdown on smokers needed

THERE IS definitely nothing new about this one. Or for that matter strange or worrying if you were to go by what a majority in Delhi University have to say. Having thrived openly on the Capital's campus for decades now, the cancer stick seems to have become an integral part of the city's top educational institutes.

Only, even as the Government frames stringent rules on keeping tobacco sellers outside the realm of educational institutions, colleges are finding it just as much difficult to control it inside their own boundary walls. "So what's new about it?'' is how most students react to the question of smoking being open in the University. And considering that the North Campus has been home to more than just one form of nicotine over the years, the reaction obviously is not surprising.

College authorities say it is more or less impossible to stop students from smoking inside the premises. Although many colleges like St. Stephen's clearly notify that smoking inside the college is not allowed, a round of the canteen is all it takes to know how well it is implemented. The real concern is probably not how many college students smoke today but how casual and normal it is to be seen with a cigarette inside a college.

The real problem according to the college authorities is getting students to follow the order. "How can I expect students to follow the order when teachers smoke openly inside the college? The Staff Room is no less than the canteen. And with teachers now smoking with their students in an attempt to show how modern and friendly they can get, things are only getting worse by the day. The teachers need to be disciplined for students to follow suit,'' feels the Principal of Kirori Mal College, Bhim Sen Singh.

But there are colleges that have tried and succeeded in keeping smoking out. Sri Venkateswara College, in fact, points out that its decision to fine students found smoking inside the college has helped a lot. The college imposes a fine of Rs.100 the first time a student is caught, it is doubled to Rs.200 the second time and the third time invites a fine of Rs.500 as well as a meeting with the parents.

"We had a couple of cases last year when some students were caught, with even the parents of some students being called. There have been no cases this year, and we are hoping that our stringent rules will stop students from smoking inside the colleges,'' says the Sri Venkateswara Principal, A.S. Reddy.

And with laws on smoking likely to get only more stringent in the coming days, it is probably time colleges adopted better methods to curb smoking inside colleges. The decision may not stop students from smoking, but it will clearly help add a couple of minutes to their life.

***

WITH STUDENT union elections around a month away, the action is beginning to happen at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Last week saw four first year students stage a hunger strike in support of better hostel facilities and other issues raised over the year.

Although many of the demands have already been approved by the Vice-Chancellor following a meeting with the JNUSU last Friday, the second meeting on Monday seems not to have gone down too well with the union, which has now started an indefinite hunger strike in protest against the Administration.

Entering its second day, the strike is supported by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) whose members have also joined the protest.

Accusing the University administration of maintaining a complete deadlock on the issue of students' representation in Academic Council and Board of Studies and in Grievance Redressal Mechanism, the JNUSU has also called for a massive protest demonstration this coming Thursday.

Lakshmi B. Ghosh

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