The students of leading university and colleges shared their concern for the steady deterioration of the environment and felt the need to restore natural flora and fauna urgently through concerted attempts to generate awareness for saving the Earth. A group of students from Presidency University, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology and the research scholars of West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences recently met in a seminar & held a brain storming session on the possible ways to generate awareness among the people for “saving the greenery:saving the Earth”. The seminar was held at West Bengal Police Telecom Head Quarters on 22 April, this year to observe Earth Day and was inaugurated by Shri Sushanta Chakraborty, Deputy Secretary, Higher Education, Govt. of West Bengal.
The discussion highlighted the various activities taken at the grass root level for protecting the flora & fauna of mother earth. Dr. Pravakaran from Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology focused on the aspects of marine pollution along the coastal areas of Chennai. He emphasized on the utilization of modernized techniques including the digital hydraulic suction system & its implementation in protecting the marine life along the coastal areas. Ocean mining sites are usually around large areas of poly metallic nodules(Manganese nodules) and extinct hydro thermal vents at about 1,400 – 3,700 meters below the ocean’s surface. The vents create sulfide deposits, which contain precious metals such as silver, gold, copper,manganese, cobalt, and zinc.
The deposits are mined using either hydraulic suction or continuous-line bucket systems that take ore to the surface to be processed, resulting in disturbances to the benthic layer, in creased toxicity of the water column and sediment plumes from tailings. Removing parts of the sea floor disturbs the habitat of benthic organisms, possibly, depending on the type of mining and location, causing permanent disturbances. Near bottom plumes occur when the tailings are pumped back down to the mining site. Dr. Asit Kumar Maji, Head of the department of Biochemistry threw light on the anti-rabies & animal birth control programme under the supervision of the West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences not only in the Calcutta Municipal Corporation areas but also several municipalities in West Bengal.
The students of Presidency University opined that the motto of today’s youth is something beyond and it is YOU NOT ME. How to be aware about nature is an individual’s choice but everyone must try it, they added. Shri Kalyan Kr. Mallick, IGP, Telecom spread the message of individual responsibility in protecting the greenery by taking small footsteps yet bold & sustainable in near future. In his inaugural address, Sushanta Chakraborty focused on the fine line of understanding of the duty & responsibility. He said the youth of today are diamonds & the teachers can turn them into Kohinoor in the near future.
The programme under National Services Scheme (NSS) of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Govt. of India was coordinated by me and while addressing the ceremony I added, ‘the students at large develop fellow feeling and acquire a high sense of social responsibility when they feel that men in uniform are there with them for social cause. Students are highly motivated by the presence of police personnel for lending their hearty cooperation and implementation.’
About the author:
She is attached with Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, National Police Academy Hyderabad and SVSPA, Barrackpore as a faculty member.
Prof. Nymphaea Rubra Paul
