Mangaluru Prof develops QR Code for trees to save them from the axe

Arza Safiya | coastaldigest.com
May 5, 2019

Mangaluru: The ‘Fern Doctor’ of Mangaluru, Professor Smitha Hegde has now launched a crusade against felling of trees by developing a Quick Response (QR) Code to save the city, some greenery. The Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research (NUCSER) Professor Dr Smitha Hegde has involved her students to develop the code for all the trees on the campus.

As many as ten students have volunteered for the project wherein they have been tasked with documenting over 1900 trees which were earlier geo-tagged by Dr Smitha and her team.

As of now, over 100 trees have received QR codes and a quick scan on the mobile will reveal the tree’s botanical name, the common name, its origin and mind you, its benefits as well.

“If you walk on the streets of Hampankatta or Falnir, you’ll notice very few trees. Most of the trees have been felled for road widening projects,” said Smitha.

Plant saplings were not planned and planted randomly on either side of the road, only to be cut down to accommodate further road works.

“Our town planners need to have a proper plan in place before carrying out sapling planting drive. It does not hold any good if you plant a sapling today and tomorrow you axe it for civic projects,” said Smitha.

Through her efforts, Smitha wants her students and others to be aware of the carbon released into the atmosphere. “Such projects sensitize them as they are directly involved with the plants and they maintain a bond while documenting them,” believes Prof Smitha. QR codes on trees are a perfect way to know about a tree. “It is something like when you meet a person for the first time, you would ask his/her name. Isn’t that a way to build a bond?” argues Prof Smitha. She now plans to include students from other institutions of the campus in the project.

The novel initiative was launched to commemorate the International Day of Forest. The United Nations had declared this year’s International Day of Forests theme to be “Forests and Education – Learn to Love the Forests.”

A Pteridologist, Smitha has been relentlessly working on to conserve and educate about trees. Prof Smitha has been awarded the Professor SS Bir gold medal in Pteridology for her scientific work towards the advancement of science in the area of ferns. She has extensively worked on ferns of the Western Ghats region, particularly the Kudremukh National Park region. Besides, she has also undertaken a project on DNA fingerprinting of ferns of the region.

From June 2018 to February 2019, Smitha and students who volunteered for the project, have been geo-tagging more than 1,200 trees, plus over 700 medicinal plants on Google Earth. In a span of one year, she had also audited the plants and geo-tagged them at her former employer's campus at St Aloysius College.

"The tree auditing has immensely helped in assessing the total carbon emission at St Aloysius campus.  Through the process, the amount of carbon corrected by a tree was calculated and compared it to the amount of carbon released by human beings. If the score was equal, the carbon emission would be null," she said.

Dr. Smitha points to a recent report of NASA which says the earth is greener due to India and China which shows clear images of the Northern parts of India being greener than the Western Ghats. “It is a matter of concern, have the citizens in this region taken our tree cover and natural resources for granted? The need to educate the masses in this region is urgent and immediate,” says Prof Smitha.

In due course, Dr Smitha says she wants the policymakers to take cognizance of the importance and role of the tree and further intends to roll out a similar drive to conserve trees in the public sphere.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 27,2025

nandini.jpg

The Karnataka government has announced that Nandini milk will become ₹4 costlier per litre starting April 1, 2025. This is the second price hike this year.

The decision was made during a cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Karnataka Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna and Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh said the increase is meant to support dairy farmers by covering the rising costs of producing and processing milk.

Officials also said that:

>> The extra money from the price hike will go directly to the milk producers.

>> The earlier ₹2 price hike (announced on June 26, 2024) will be withdrawn.

>> The new price hike of ₹4 will apply to both 500 ml and 1-litre packets.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 21,2025

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Assembly on Friday passed Bills doubling the salaries of the chief minister, ministers, and legislators, adding an annual burden of ₹62 crore on the exchequer.

The CM's monthly salary will increase from ₹75,000 to ₹1.5 lakh, while ministers will see a 108% hike, from ₹60,000 to ₹1.25 lakh. MLAs and MLCs will get ₹80,000 per month, up from ₹40,000, and their pension will rise from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000.

The Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill and the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill were passed without debate, as the Opposition BJP protested in the well of the House.

The Bills cited the rising cost of living as justification for the hike. The Assembly Speaker and Legislative Council chairperson will now receive ₹1.25 lakh per month, up from ₹75,000.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
coastaldigest.com news network
March 20,2025

Mangaluru International Airport (MIA), Karnataka’s second busiest airport, has seen 148.5kg of gold smuggled between 2019 and December 2024, with 90% arriving from the UAE. Customs officials recorded 346 cases, averaging 30kg of gold seized per year (2.5kg per month). Most smugglers are from Kerala and Bhatkal.

A senior customs officer revealed that MIA sees at least five gold smuggling cases per month. Numbers dropped during the pandemic but surged after flights resumed. Many offenders are first-time carriers, while some are habitual smugglers. With fewer flights, customs thoroughly checks passengers, making smuggling harder.

Smugglers constantly innovate concealment methods. Hiding gold in the rectum remains common, but gold is also found in trolley bags, mobile covers, chocolate boxes, milk powder, biscuit packets, and clothing layers. Electronic devices like car speaker magnets, LED bulbs, AirPods, wristwatches, and ballpoint pens have been used.

Unusual tactics include hiding gold in a woman’s hairband, a baby’s diaper, and even a kheer mix packet (347g). In one case, a passenger attempted to smuggle 100g in his mouth under a mask but was caught.

Officials note that while the UAE remains a key source, smugglers now bring gold from other Gulf countries, continuously adapting to evade detection.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.