‘Green Vellore’ project of VITU launched

[dhilipkumar]

VELLORE: The "Green Vellore" project kicked off by Vellore Institute of Technology University (VITU) is a step towards maintaining ecological security of the city, M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, said here on Sunday.

Inaugurating the Green Vellore project of the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development and Research Studies, VITU, Dr.Swaminathan said that the project, which was an urban green revolution movement, would spread to cities and towns. The Green Revolution Movement of the VITU would ecologically benefit people of Vellore and its neighbouring areas. It would also help to improve soil quality and groundwater levels. Though it was a good beginning, the university, while chalking out its sapling planting programme, could choose trees that provided missing nutrients in regular diets. Trees such as Amla and Tamarind would provide the micronutrients that were missing in the diets of children and women.

Referring to eminent scientist J.C.Bose whose 150th anniversary was celebrated at Cambridge University, Dr. Swaminathan said that J.C. Bose had proved that plants had the same feeling as animals. He had demonstrated how the plants responded to stimuli.

Dr. Swaminathan suggested that while planting saplings in Vellore, the VITU could think in terms of planting more number of touch and smell plants for the benefit of the visually challenged children. G.Viswanathan, Chancellor, VITU, said that the district was now facing a dangerous situation where the existing water sources were fast depleting. The main reason was failure to conserve rainwater. No steps had been taken to carry floodwater to drought-hit areas. During the previous regime, the Union government had constituted a committee for inter-linking rivers. But, no headway was made.

C. Rajendran, Vellore Collector, C. Gnanasekaran, MLA, A.V. Venkatachalam, Conservator of Forests, G.V.Selvam, Pro Chancellor, VITU, D.P. Kothari, vice-chancellor, and Anand A. Samuel, pro vice-chancellor spoke.

K.Chidambaram, director, Students' Welfare, VITU, welcomed the gathering and R. Muthuveeran, project coordinator, Centre for Sustainable Rural Development and Research Studies, VITU, proposed vote of thanks.