Indian Oil Corporation launches tree planting programme

Tiruchy: As part of the 56th Indian Oil Day celebrations, a tree planting programme was launched today by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in coordination with the city based Society for Conservation of Nature (SOFCON) in six city colleges at the rate of twenty saplings in each college.

According to V. Sundararaju, president, SOFCON, of the eight hundred plants planned to be planted this year, one hundred and twenty saplings were planted today in Jamal Mohammed College, Bishop Heber College, Holy Cross College, St.Joseph’s College and National College with the inauguration of the programme held at Oxford Engineering College (OEC). Among others, Ravi Govindan, senior area manager, IOC, Subramaniam, chairman, Oxford Engineering College,E Jagan Mohan and Arun, vice president and joint secretary respectively of SOFCON participated.

In his address, M. Subramaniam, chairman of OEC stressed the need for planting trees as one person with a normal life span may require oxygen worth '5 crores to be released only by trees. V.Sundararaju, president, SOFCON appreciated the efforts taken by IOC to mitigate the adverse impacts of global warming caused by carbon dioxide released while using fossil fuels.

Another four hundred saplings in Bharathi Dasan University campus at Suriyur and two hundred and eighty in different city colleges will be planted during the north east monsoon season, he added.

The NSS students involved in tree planting programme will be suitably rewarded with a running trophy and certificates after evaluating the best grown plants, he said.

According to IOC sources, a blood donation camp was also jointly organised by the OEC and the blood bank of the Government General Hospital at Manapparai to mark the occasion, in which 75 students of OEC donated blood.