Megacities like Kolkata is facing blistering heatwaves induced by climate change, which is posing a serious threat to the livelihoods and also the environment.
Students from Jadavpur University are protesting to call for proactive measures to save the environment.
Their demands are: *Proper Installation of Rain Water Harvesting
*Installation of Solar Panels
*Plantation of fruit bearing trees
*Excavation/ Cleaning of ponds
*Ban on the use of single use plastics in campus.
The students called on the administration to take constructive action on these demands in general inside the institution.
The demonstration emphasized facts like ‘Deforestation by corporates’, ‘mass homicide of tribals’ in the name of development’, ‘Save Ladakh’ etc.
Student activist Arani Ghose posted on Facebook, claiming that “April 2024 broke all the previous records for the warmest temperature in a century. On the other hand, authorities from Kolkata are urging people not to waste water as river Hooghly is rapidly drying up and could soon become scarce. Given that 115 million people depend on this river water, nothing can be more crucial than this, for the people of Kolkata”.
Alongside, students across various institutions like Calcutta University, Viswa Bharti University, Presidency University and many others, stood in solidarity with them.
One of the student activist, Anushna Das, said in Facebook that “It has been over 26 hours of our sit-in demonstration at Aurobindo Bhaban, Jadavpur University. In the light of the imminent global climate apocalypse, we demanded to take constructive measures regarding the demands we mentioned, from the University authority.
The Vice Chancellor of Jadavpur University, had called for a meeting, and after an intense discussion for over an hour. He assured us that the official notification regarding the ban on single-use plastic within campus premises will be officially released on 9th May, 2024. We will continue our sit-in demonstration till we get hold of the official notification from the VC”.
After two days of ongoing protest, she added furthermore that “It has been nearly sixty hours since we are protesting here. Friends from different places have sent messages of support. We have received expressions of solidarity from several universities. This morning Guard Kaku gave us mangoes and sweets, told us that we eat well. A while back, one of our friend Shifa, brought us Pulao and chicken from her home. As we are staying here for last two days, we had to buy food from canteen or from 8B. It goes beyond saying that home cooked food gives a different kind of satisfaction.
We are realizing this sincerity of Jadavpur every moment, each moment gives us the willpower to strengthen this movement”.
Read more :- https://thelocaljournalist.com/over-a-dozen-dead-as-flood-and-landslides-wreck-havoc-in-indonesia/
