Campus safety discussed at TN universities' meet, additional chief secretary warns defaulters
Safety measures followed inside campuses, security gaps in universities and lack of follow-ups by management were some of the issues discussed.
Anna University: Higher Education Department
CHENNAI: Following the incident of sexual assault in Anna University, the higher education department held a high-level meeting with management higher-ups of all state universities in Tamil Nadu on Saturday.
Safety measures followed inside campuses, security gaps in universities and lack of follow-ups by management were some of the issues discussed.
The meeting was held by additional chief secretary (CS), higher education department, K Gopal with commissioner of collegiate education, commissioner of technical education, registrars of all state universities, joint directors of collegiate education, staff dealing with security, women safety, infrastructure, student development, Prevention of Sexual Harassment and e-governance initiatives of all state universities.
The additional CS stated that the department will not spare defaulters and maximum punishment will be handed out to defaulters.
Further, the meeting with higher management discussed requesting students to use the ‘Kaavalan app’, while accounting and monitoring vehicle movements inside campuses and maintaining the list of visitors on an everyday basis.
“Besides students and staff, no one should not be allowed inside campuses without prior permission. Suspected criminals should be prevented and not allowed to enter premises. The movement of strangers should be identified promptly,” the meeting discussed.
The additional CS also warned the management on lack of follow-ups on issues within campuses.
“There is a need to address this issue in a much better manner. Though such points are discussed, the truth is there is a lack of fund allocation to maintain safety measures, including installation of CCTV cameras. All these need to be efficient to prevent any untoward incident,” said a head of the department of Anna University.
The meeting discussed making college ID cards mandatory, minimising number of exits and entrances and the need for universities to strengthen online/offline support systems while maintaining proper data backup to assess events.
Also, calling for a third party audit, the additional CS asked colleges/universities to arrange audits on security systems.
Mentioning the presence of non-teaching staff, the meeting also highlighted maintaining a biometric system to regulate outsiders like electricians, canteen workers, water men, plumbers and contract workers.
Also Read: MoS L Murugan demands CBI probe into Anna University sexual assault case