BENGALURU: Every student who joins a postgraduate course at Bangalore University’s Jnana Bharathi campus should plant a sapling and nurture it until they finish the course.
BU authorities have decided to increase the lung space on the campus in the coming years and are hence mandating every student and department on campus to plant a sapling.
The university has decided to auction the eucalyptus trees that are at the campus. Once space is cleared the same area will be cleaned up and used for planting saplings.In-charge vice-chancellor Prof Muniraju said, “I feel it is important to grow trees instead of constructing buildings and making it a concrete jungle. I took a decision to make it mandatory for each student who gets admission here to plant a sapling.”
“We human beings get emotionally attached to plants and trees when we plant them ourselves. I am sure students who plant the saplings will take care of them,” he added.As per the plan, the University will encourage students to plant jamun, neem, jack fruit, mango and tamarind saplings. “There are a lot many varieties of plants that can be planted. But by planting fruit trees we can help birds survive in the campus,” said Muniraju.
To water the saplings, the university is set to recycle and use Vrishabhavati water. For this purpose, BU will soon sign a MoU with the Adamya Chetana Trust. “Members of Adamya Chetana Trust have come forward to clean Vrishabhavati river and create a walkers’ zone. That recycled water will be used for plantation,” said Muniraju.
Tumakuru varsity started sapling drive
The idea of planting saplings was introduced by the Sri Siddartha University in Tumakuru, where the student was asked to plant a sapling and the picture of the plant would be printed on their graduation certificate — called as green graduation. Following which, Higher Education Minister Basavaraja Rayareddi passed a resolution in a meeting at the State Council for Higher Education and insisted that all government colleges and universities should also start planting saplings. BU is the first to follow the direction.