BENGALURU: Engineering colleges across the state affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi, can no longer allow non-academic activities including film shooting, on their campuses.
The decision comes in the wake of complaints from a few students and lecturers about the ruckus being created by film crews during classes.
Speaking to Express, an official source from VTU said, “We are receiving complaints from faculty members and students about the academic atmosphere in the colleges being disturbed whenever there is a shooting inside the campus. Hence, we have decided to issue a circular asking the colleges not to entertain any non-academic activities including movie shooting during college hours.”
Also, according to faculty members, whenever there is a film shooting on the campus, classes see thin attendance as students bunk classes to get a glimpse of the actors. A faculty member from one of the top engineering colleges in the city said, “Recently, a movie team had camped in our college for 10 days. On all the 10 days, the attendance was as low as 20 per cent.”
Rahul M Bogase, a third semester student from a city college said, “We won’t be able to concentrate in class during the film shoots and hence we are forced to bunk.” VTU officials said, “We are only concerned about the academic activities and the academic schedule; that should not be disturbed at any cost. If the college is renting it out for cash or kind, that is not our problem.”