Green canopy is IISc’s gift to City

Green canopy is IISc’s gift to City
Subhash Chandra N S, July 25, Bangalore:

The Indian Institute of Science, which is celebrating its centenary this year is all set to gift Bangaloreans with more green cover.

The 100th batch of students, the freshers, who will be admitted during this year will plant about 1,000 saplings of various species.

The 845 students of IISc (505 researchers and 340 M Tech students) will have memorable first day admission into the India's best-known research institution, where they will be a part of a programme contributing to the much-needed greenery of the City.
The students will be planting indigenous sapling from the Western Ghats.
“It will be plant and adopt a tree programme to generate a healthy native population of trees within the campus,” said Dr T V Ramachandra, Senior Scientist, Energy and Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, the man behind the event.

Dr Ramachandra, who did most of the planting at the mini forest in the Institute says that such events will give a feeling of something belonging to them apart from creating a healthy atmosphere.

Of the 1,000 saplings brought to the campus, 600 saplings of 30 species are from Uttara Kannada and 200 saplings of 12 species are the contribution of forest department.
The eight hectares of the Jubilee Gardens will brace up for the event, which will continue for three days. Each student will be given a sapling to plant. The sapling will bear a tag of the person who planted it along with the significance and other details of the species.
The sapling will be planted in such manner that it will appear as a ‘multi-tier canopy’ which resembles an umbrella with varying heights after its complete growth. The name of the students who participated in the event will be recorded in a registry and a green card will be issued to them.

“The students can supervise the nurturing of the saplings,” said Dr Ramachandra. The Institute had earlier on June 5, 2010 had planted 600 saplings as part of World Environment Day.

The programme will begin on July 28 and will be inaugurated by Prof Balaram, Director, IISc and will be a three-day event.