Bangalore varsity plans milk parlours to cut off aerated drinks

Bengaluru: To provide ‘swadeshi’ drink to its students, faculties and visitors, the Bangalore University has decided to welcome milk parlours amid plans to take aerated colas off its canteens.

For this, the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), which sells its retail products under ‘Nandini’ brandname, has been approached to open four milk parlours.

“We have asked the KMF to set up four parlours. When we have a drink, which is healthy, cheap and belongs to our state, why shouldn’t we provide our students the best product? Hence, we approached the KMF,” the varsity Vice-Chancellor K R Venugopal told PTI on Friday.

A varsity official, on condition of anonymity, said there were plans to take aerated drinks off the shelves of the canteen once such parlours become operational.

Only one of the two canteens was operational in the university. Some students go to the nearby shopping complex to have aerated drinks but with the proposed milk parlours offering a range of products, they would now have lots of options, officials said.

A few students too had reportedly suggested to the management of the university to start the Nandini Milk Parlour.

When contacted, a KMF official said they were yet to receive a proposal from the university to open such parlours, which were popular across Karnataka for a range of milk products, including flavoured milk and ice-creams, in addition to ghee, butter, curd and sweets.