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.

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News Network
January 27,2025

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Udupi, Jan 27: A bomb threat sent shockwaves through a private school in Udupi, prompting immediate action from the authorities. Students, staff, and parents were thrown into a state of alarm after receiving an alarming email that triggered safety protocols.

The threat was quickly reported to the police, who deployed teams to investigate. Security checks and thorough inspections were carried out to ensure the safety of everyone on the premises.

According to Vincent D’Costa, Principal of Sharada Residential School, the email warned of a potential attack with a bomb targeting the school. It read: “Evacuate the minority students immediately. On this holy day, your school will be victims of the twin pipe IED blast. This is to commemorate the unfair hanging of Afzal Guru and the incident involving Anna University Professor Chithrakala Gopalan. We aim to reach heaven through this tragic event. We will be the ones activating the devices today.”

In response, Principal D’Costa reassured the media, saying, “Upon receiving the email, we immediately notified the relevant authorities, and security measures have been strengthened. Our students come from various parts of the country, so we are always vigilant. There is no cause for fear, and we stand united with the police in ensuring the safety of everyone.”

The incident led to a gathering of worried parents and guardians at the school, anxiously awaiting updates and reassurance regarding the situation.

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News Network
January 18,2025

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Kadaba, Jan 18: In a heartrending incident, a 16-year-old student lost his life on Friday, January 18, after the motorbike he was riding skidded off the road and plunged into a culvert on the Dharmasthala–Mardhala–Subrahmanya state highway near Gargaspal, Peradka. 

The accident spot falls under the Noojibaltila gram panchayat in Kadaba taluk of Dakshina Kannada district. 

The victim, Ashish, a tenth-grade student from a private school in Peradka, was the beloved son of Vishwanath of Hosamane Kaana in Noojibaltila village. His untimely demise has left his parents and sibling in profound grief.

The accident occurred during Ashish’s routine commute to school. Despite the swift intervention of a local resident, Sridhar, who rushed him to a private hospital in Kadaba, medical efforts could not save him. A case has been registered at the Kadaba police station.

The culvert where the accident happened has long been criticized by locals for its flawed and unsafe design. Numerous accidents have reportedly occurred at this spot, prompting repeated appeals from residents for immediate rectification. Community members have once again called upon authorities to prioritize repairs to prevent further tragedies.

Responding to the incident, Kadaba tahsildar Prabhakar Khajure underscored the importance of curbing underage driving. He directed the police department to take stringent action against minors found operating vehicles and cautioned parents about the serious consequences of providing vehicles to underage children.

This incident serves as a grim reminder of the pressing need for both infrastructural improvements and stricter enforcement of traffic regulations to safeguard young lives.

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News Network
January 31,2025

Bengaluru: Special matching grants for the development of the backward region of Kalyana Karnataka, approval for the Mekedatu project and release of Rs 11,495 crore of special grants recommended by the 15th Finance Commission were among the suggestions and requests made by the Karnataka government during a pre-budget consultation with the Centre.

Last month, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met finance ministers of states and union territories (UTs) to take their demands and suggestions for the Union Budget 2025-26, to be presented on February 1.

In his presentation at the meeting, Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on behalf of the state government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah sought release of Rs 5,300 crore promised in the Union Budget to Upper Bhadra project to provide water to drought prone central Karnataka and special matching grants for the development of backward region of Kalyana Karnataka and the global eco sensitive Western Ghats.

The state urged the Central government to shift from a "reimbursement-based" system to an "advance-release" model for the implementation of the centrally sponsored schemes and also proposed increasing the Central share of their honorariums to Rs 5,000 per month for ASHA workers and Rs 2,000 for Anganwadi helpers.

According to a statement shared by the Gowda's office on Friday, the minister suggested increasing Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana assistance from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs five lakh for urban houses and from Rs 72,000 to Rs three lakh for rural houses.

Karnataka has requested additional railway lines, expedited projects, and Central support for 50 per cent of land acquisition and 100 per cent construction costs.

The state also urged approvals for road infrastructure proposals, including new ring roads and upgrades to National Highways.

Gowda has also requested the Union government to increase pensions for old-age, widows, physically-challenged persons.

The Karnataka government called for transparent and need-based reforms in disaster relief fund allocation and timely release of SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) funds, prioritising states' disaster vulnerabilities, it stated.

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