CHENNAI: As IIT Madras is buzzing with preparations for silver jubilee edition of ‘Saarang’, one of India’s largest student-run cultural fests starting Wednesday, the top-notch engineering institute is drowned in plastic waste threatening wildlife inside the campus, including endangered blackbuck. Pictures taken by Express show spotted deer feeding on plastic waste near the overflowing bin kept near New Academic Complex.
The solid waste management is a challenge during this part of the year inside IIT Madras with back-to-back mega events - Shaastra and Saarang - organised. The four-day Shaastra, a student run tech festival, concluded on Monday and the five-day Saarang festival will commence on Wednesday. MS Sivakumar, Dean (Students), IIT Madras told media on Tuesday that the 25th edition of Saarang will host more than 100 events and the expected footfall is 70,000 from over 500 colleges. The festival kicks off with a ‘Classical Night’.
Although organisers claim adequate measures have been taken to minimise the plastic waste and strewing of other waste in the campus, the unclear bins filled with different kinds of solid waste including plastics tells a different story. Chennai Wildlife Warden CH Padma told Express, “Two months back, we did inspection and the found the institute was segregating the waste properly and disposing. I will raise the issue with IIT-M registrar and send a team for inspection.”
Animal rights activist Antony Clement Rubin, who petitioned National Green Tribunal (NGT) on improper disposal of solid waste in IIT Madras, said there is an NGT order that directs IIT Madras to avoid utilisation of plastic to the extent possible and the waste generated are properly collected, segregated and disposed in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
“If any injury or death is caused to the animals due to the inaction on the part of IIT Madras, the ‘polluter pay’ principle would be invoked,” Antony said quoting the order. A forest official attached to the Guindy National Park said that wildlife inside the IIT Madras was under constant threat. Solid waste and construction debris are attracting stray dogs that hunt wild animals. Official records show a staggering 291 deer and blackbucks killed by dogs inside the campus since 2010.