Gandhi Jayanti this year will leave a green imprint on the largely built-up campus of the premier Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMCT) and the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC).
The campus was witness to a novel initiative at greening led by Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, Mayor V.K. Prasanth, former Additional Chief Secretary D. Babu Paul, and a host of other luminaries on Gandhi Jayanti Day. Launched under the aegis of Centre for Creative Excellence-India, a non-profit trust, the initiative saw fruit trees such as Rambuttan, Mangosteen and Pulasan being planted on the campus. Said Varghese Keerikkatte, the moving spirit behind the tree planting campaign: “We want to give a vibrant and healthy environment to these places where people come with a lot of sorrow and worries and doctors who have great responsibilities on their shoulders. We are planting exotic fruit bearing trees as also plants that would bear magnificent flowers. Our aim is to create a poonkaavanam here. This also marks the launch of a project we call ‘Plant a Fruit Tree, Breath Easy and Save the Environment’.”
Dr. Isaac, the Mayor and Mr. Babu Paul were joined by, among others, Dr. Asha Kishore, director, SCTIMST, Dr. Paul Sebastian, director, RCC, at the function.
