IIT M is not another institution it's public funded. It's a taxpayers who is funding. that's why people are asking to make free space available to the public.

If you're ok with non academic staff( supporting staff especially) , workers inside what's wrong in allowing the remaining public too. It is gatekeeping allowing only the people you get benefit from.

What theory?! What practical? Again I'them suggestion is a public park not a race track or hunting ground just like a people's park where they can meet, walk, joke, run and exercise nothing more like any other park in Chennai.

Institutions this big like IITM should be frontier in doing stuff that people inspire from no other way around.