IIT Bhubaneswar to have green campus

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar, July 30: IIT Bhubaneswar has decided to develop its permanent campus into a zero energy drawing green campus.A beginning in this direction was made on Wednesday.Though the Institute shifted its students only recently on July 18 to its new campus at Arugul on the outskirts of the city, it has initiated actions on greening of the campus.In this endeavour, several government organisations, including the Central Horticultural Experimentation Station (CHES) are also taking part.Plantation of a Mango Orchard with 500 trees of 60 different mango varieties was inaugurated by N.K.Krishna Kumar, Deputy Director General (Horticultural Science), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi and R.V. Raja Kumar, Director of the Institute on Wednesday.Several faculty members and the students of the Institute took part in the plantation drive which also continued on Thursday. The CHES joined the endeavour not only by providing500 saplings of 60 varieties of mangos to IIT Bhubaneswar but also several of their officers including H.S.Singh, Head of the organisation participated in the drive.After the plantation, Raja Kumar addressed all including the students, explained about the plans of the institute in planting 6000 plants before end of the present season including development of several orchards of gardens which are theme based, without disturbing any of the naturally grown trees and called for the participation of the students in this endeavour.Krishna Kumar addressed the gathering explaining about the green revolution, its benefits, fruit and vegetable based nutrition, food safety and security, plant nutrition, sustenance of top soil quality, its organic content and the need for concern and sensitivity towards the same.He also called upon the students to apply technology including information technology in this endeavour.