As we’ve got the 9th hike in Gas (Petrol) prices in 11 Months (Good Job Government) and price has gone up a good Rs 5. Not 1, not 2 straight up 5. Ridiculous.
If you recall my post on Blatant Daylight Robbers in Manipal you’ll know my feelings on these criminals already. Now once again they’ve got a “valid” excuse (as if they’ve ever needed any excuses in the past to jack up their already jacked up prices. If they haven’t started today already, they’ll do it asap.
Nonetheless, with this the 2nd set of Robberies (half of the restaurants around town) go up. I love this fact that it’s a student town and how much all the locals decide to cash in. I mean if it was a tourist place like in Goa or something I can understand. But is it like this everywhere in India? I don’t recall anything like this in Canada not even in a place like Ottawa. Hell in Carleton University when I was there students had concessional rates everywhere. Food, transportation. Actually now that I think of it, transportation is cheaper for students almost everywhere I’ve been to back home. Taxi’s, Buses, Trains everything. This is in a place where the realistic cost of living is many many many times higher then India.
Unless I’m mistaken Udupi (6km), Mangalore (60Km) and Bangalore (about 400 km) none of them have these issues. Both have universities galore.
Manipal is becoming more and more expensive to live in. An those people who aren’t coming from affluent (or even well enough to do) families, for them it’s going to be really difficult. Sad.
Just a thought. Keep extra change from now on if you use one of those.
K.S.
Some reasons for the higer rates in Manipal
i)Most of the students are in Manipal only for 9 months, so the drivers need to extract 12 months worth of income in 9 months
ii)The university has left no other choice to students. In effect the Auto's have been given a virtual monopoly status by the university. Reasons:
A)Students not allowed to own vehicles, so how exactly are they supposed to commute outside the campus
B)Inside the campus the roads are used by the speeding monsters called buses, leaving just a narrow footpath for students to walk on. The buses are filled to the point where 4 people are hanging from the door, and are still not enough.
C)If you do decide to walk, and are late by 5 minutes for a 3 hour lab, you dont get attendance.
D)The new blocks are FAR away from the campus (If you are in 17th block, and want to walk to college, you need 45+ minutes. you would rather walk to KC and take an auto)
Looking at A,B,C&D, its pretty obvious that the college doesnt want people to walk, but wants to encourage the use of auto's
Perspective:
Drivers already are extracting. An there isn't a single month where students are not in town. Had this been a one course
university, that might have been the case. But considering the amount of courses Manipal Uni has this shouldn't be a reason.
An if it is, it's a shitty one.
I almost agree with the virtual monopoly status given to auto's by the Uni itself. There should be campus buses (which were there
earlier but now they are not). Buses do not use the in campus roads. I don't recall that. Right outside yes, but not inside.
The attendance issue is a "Delicate" matter. Especially the 5 min part, sadly a lot of the professors don't even listen when you
walk in soaking wet due to the bloody rain. There should be a 5 min window that much I agree as long as there is a reason an it
doesn't happen every day
Students not allowed to own vehicals? Say's who? I recall some dumb rule about 1st years not having vehicles but upto a level that
is understandable. Just safety measures for the students and protecting it's own arse by the university.
Up to a level I think the University might say that they are promoting exercise among students by taking out the buses and
making stuff far away! I can actually picture some caption from them saying so.
@Kanwar
Actually I know only about MIT campus, where students are not allowed to "officially" own vehicles. Yes, a small subset of them do own vehicles, but bery few.
And the few campus buses are racing up and down the central road in MIT in the time before classes start, hardly leaving any space for pedestrians.
I stand corrected regarding the first point. I was under the impression that the end of the year vacations for almost all the university colleges fell in the June-July period.
Campus buses eh. At least you have them. I don't recall when we had them on our side.
You are correct at the point that year end vacations do fall under that. THe load of people does go down yes, but there are TONS of students still here. An all of those mostly will use Auto's at that time due to the rains.
I've seen these assholes force charge a couple of buddies Rs 60 to go a total of maybe 60 – 70 meters during an errant downpour. Disgusting people.
The attendance issue has a simple solution. Have minute based attendance, so if you want to attend 45 minutes of a 60 minute lecture, you get 45/60 atendance for that class.
Similarly if a teacher is giving crap to the class, just walk out for 10 minutes and come back in, and you get 50/60 attendance
@ anonymous:
I really hope you weren't serious on that attendance option!