Highlighting the need to protect the biodiversity in the University of Hyderabad campus and the alleged indiscriminate transfer of varsity’s land to private parties, the University of Hyderabad Teachers’ Association (UHTA) organised a ‘biodiversity walk’ on campus on Wednesday.
More than 150 students and faculty participated in the walk organised to the fresh water lake beyond Hostel ‘K’, which will be affected with the proposed construction of National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) and National Institute of Design (NID), said Sathya Prakash, vice-president, UHTA.
Seshagiri Rao from the Department of Plant Sciences, who made an interesting presentation on the various plant species on the campus, said that 39 species of endangered plants were still found on the campus. No fewer than 315 were being used in traditional Indian medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha, he said.
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City-based environmentalists Jasveen Jairath, representing Save our Urban Lakes (SOUL), Frauke Quader, Secretary of Society to Save Rocks and Ismat Mehdi from Concerned Citizens participated in the walk expressing their solidarity.