At a time when experts are struggling to find a solution to mitigate the perceived damage to the planet in the wake of climate change, Jawaharlal Nehru University here is trying to do its bit to save the environment. The authorities are discussing a proposal to start battery-operated buses for internal commuting on the sprawling campus. The idea is to allow the Delhi Transport Corporation and other private-run buses connecting the university to the rest of the city to run up to a particular point on the campus, after which the battery-operated buses would ferry the students to their destinations. "The outside buses will terminate at one point on the campus. Students disembarking from those vehicles can travel in the new buses on the same ticket. For faculty members and others who wish to use the new service from within the campus, there will be nominal billing,' said Manoj Pant, chairperson of the JNU Campus Development Committee. "The battery-operated buses will not only de-congest the roads but also protect the environment considerably. We are discussing the matters with the Transport Committee of JNU and it should become completely operational within a year's time,' added Prof. Pant. A walkway Another thing he is keen on is creating a walkway from the North Gate up to the Administration Block on the campus. "The current side-walk has gaps between the stones. All we need to do is remove these gaps and connect the side-walk so that people can walk in a continuous line instead of the road.' "These are small operational things and I don't think it should take much time to implement them,' added Prof. Pant, a faculty member of JNU's School of International Studies. Also on the anvil at JNU are two "food courts'. The first one that will come up near the library side is aimed at bringing the canteens functional in different schools and centres to one place. "There are some schools where the canteens are running on the second and the third floors. We want to move the cooking, which is the unsafe part of the process because of gas cylinders, out of the building into a central area. The food can either be served outside or inside the building. If the cooking is happening at one place, it's more manageable in terms of fire hazards,' said Prof. Pant, adding that his predecessor had approved of this proposal. The second "food court' will come up opposite Lohit Hostel where stalls of different kinds of cuisine will be erected so that members of the JNU community can savour a variety of fare apart from the regular stuff at the "dhabas'.