In a positive initiative taken by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) general body, students from rural backgrounds will now get a chance to study in PMC gardens in the city. After showing an identity card or by taking prior permission from the PMC garden department, students can studies in the gardens.

Welcoming this decision, Kuldeep Ambekar, student and president of Students Helping Hand group, said, "Our organisation dedicatedly works for issues related to rural students coming from drought-affected areas. And one of the major concerns for these students is to find a place to study during the day time, as after college or during the holidays they don't have place to study. This decision will certainly help thousands of students and they can now study peacefully with no charges in the PMC gardens."

Another student, Pankaj Ashapure, who is giving competitive exams, said, "There are thousands of students in Pune who come to give various competitive exams and live in rented rooms and attend classes. We do not find place for self study, so most of us go to PMC gardens, but earlier there were time restrictions. Now if PMC allows us throughout the day it will benefit us a lot."

There are 196 PMC managed public gardens in the city which are open from 6 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 8 pm.

In 2018, former PMC standing committee chairman Yogesh Mulik had given a sanction to keep gardens open for students during the daytime for studies after which some of the gardens were made available for students. Whereas now after the new decision all the 196 gardens will be open for students during the day.

"Any student who has a college or university identity card can show the ID card and study in the garden ,or else the students needs to apply to the garden department," said PMC garden department head Ashok Ghorpade.

"Along with students hobby painters, sketchers, sculptures and photographers will also be allowed during the day time in the garden for their artwork. They also will need to take formal permission from the PMC garden department and then only will they be allowed inside the garden for their work," added Ghorpade.