Date:03/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/03/stories/2006120318160300.htm

New Delhi

JNU faculty opposes destruction of greens

Staff Reporter

`Development should have minimum impact on environment' `Natural growth cannot be matched by man-made gardens'

NEW DELHI: It is a bit of green at Jawaharlal Nehru University here that is generating a lot of interest on the campus. Concerned about "indiscriminate removal of green cover" at JNU, a group of faculty members have written an open letter to the Vice-Chancellor asking that the natural cover be disturbed as little as possible during constructions. This letter has been endorsed by the Executive Council of the JNU Teachers' Association at its first meeting held on Friday.

The letter, which has been signed by over 30 faculty members, urges the Vice-Chancellor to ensure that the environment of the campus remains unharmed.

"We do not have a problem with the development of the campus to meet the ongoing needs of the academic community.

However, this needs to be done with a minimum impact on the environment of the campus," the letter states.

The letter also asks that "every plan" of JNU be discussed by the academic community.

"The Environmental Impact Committee needs to look into the various proposals, consider alternatives and invite suggestions from the community. Its report should be placed for wider discussion by the community before finalisation of the same," it states. Concerned about not just removal of the green cover for construction of new buildings, the letter also questions "indiscriminate removal of the undergrowth and clearance of the green cover to be replaced by gardens and shrubs not natural to the local environment''.

"Apart from the fact that the natural growth has its own beauty which cannot be matched by man-made gardens, the latter is very resource-intensive. For instance, gardens need a lot of watering and care. While gardens are all right in the immediate vicinity of residences, hostels or other buildings, the natural forest cover should not be replaced by gardens as seems to be happening on campus," it says.

The letter also points out that removing the green cover will have an impact on wildlife that is dependent on the undergrowth.