The members of the Chennai chapter of the alumni association of the College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET) have joined hands with Care Earth Trust, one of the leading NGOs in the field of Biodiversity & Ecological conservation, to work towards a greener Chennai. The first initiative of this partnership unfolded on Sunday, 11 March 2018, with the planting of tree saplings on a 1 km long stretch on the southern side of the Pallikaranai Marsh adjacent to the Sholinganallur-Medavakkam Main Road by the members of the College of Engineering Trivandrum Alumni Association Chennai (CETAAC). Mr. Rakesh Sasibhushan, CMD of Antrix, and also an alumnus of CET, was the chief guest at a small function to mark the occasion, along with Dr S Balaji IFS, Retd. PCCF, Ms. Krishnapriya IFS, CCF and Conservator, Chennai Circle and Mr. Subbaiah, DFO Chennai.
The College of Engineering, Trivandrum was established in 1939 as the first Engineering College in the then Travancore State, and is one of the oldest and most prestigious Engineering institutes in South India. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sunil Varghese, President of CETAAC said, "We learnt about ecology and biodiversity during our time in CET, and the passion for conservation of our natural resources was inculcated in each of us. CETAAC is an association of engineering professionals from CET, based in and around Chennai, with more than 100 members. Now, we are looking at this initiative with Care Earth Trust, as a way to contribute to a greener and healthier Chennai and give back something to this city, which has been home to most of our members. This is just a beginning and we look forward to many more such initiatives in association with Care Earth Trust and the Tamilnadu Forest department.
Mr. Rakesh Sasibhushan expressed his happiness in being invited to Chennai to take part in the tree planting drive, and recollected about his days at CET when his love for nature and awareness about the importance of ecological conservation blossomed. He commended CETAAC on the well organised effort which he hoped would play its part in the rejuvenation of the Pallikaranai Marsh and expressed his support to the CETAAC team in their future conservation efforts. He also appreciated the work done by Care Earth trust and the Tamil Nadu forest department in raising awareness about the environment.
Ms. Karunapriya in her speech mentioned about the importance of the Pallikaranai wetlands to Chennai, terming the marsh as the lungs and heart of Chennai, and called upon each citizen of Chennai to play their part in conserving this. She called for increased awareness among the school and college students to strengthen this initiative. Mr. Balaji also spoke on the occasion and wished the initiative by CETAAC all success.
