OM SRI VARUNAYA NAMAH

  GENERAL

  1. Management Board meetings are conducted at regular intervals to review the progress of the on-going and completed projects and make such recommendations considered appropriate to strengthen the Marine Ecological Research along the Indian East Coast with special emphasis to Orissa and West Bengal coasts. Since 2007, four MB meetings have been conducted and 16 projects were recommended for financial support.
  2. Coinciding with the MB meeting, lead talks were arranged to benefit the Research Scholars and Students pursuing their study and research in Oceanography, Marine Biology and  other  allied subjects during March 2008 and September 2008. Prof T J Pandian and Dr V Sampat have delivered  talks, which were comprehensive and educative.

SPECIFIC

  1. The OASTC in collaboration with local NGOs and NSS volunteers conducted  beach cleaning exercise at Gopalpur-on-Sea, a local beach resort, twice on the  beach cleaning day of 2007 and 2008
  2. The OASTC has celebrated the Earth Day on 22 nd April 2008 and 2009 in which painting competitions were conducted among School children of different age groups. Seminars were also arranged to educate the students on the contemporary challenges of mother earth.
  3. Field visits were arranged for the students of Marine Sciences to witness the Mass Nesting Scenario of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle at Rushikulya Rookery, a site known globally.

ACHIEVEMENTS

 

 

The activities of this OASTC have been rejuvenated since 2006. Regular MB meetings were held and number of projects have been generated from 2007 till date. The   OASTC has arranged painting competition and seminars for school children during 2008 and 2009 on the occasion of the celebration of the Earth Day. Besides, beach cleaning awareness programme   was arranged at Gopalpur- on- Sea involving the NSS units of local colleges   and the local people. The Cell has proposed to start two M Sc. Courses namely, Marine Microbiology and Geophysics from the academic session 2009-10 for which preparation of courses of studies and other formalities have been completed at the University level.

NEW PROGRAMMES PROPOSED

 

 

This OASTC Berhampur University has proposed to incorporate some new activity to its arena. These include preparation of Monographs on some endangered and fascinating see animals like sea turtle and horse-shoe-crap and  establishment of a Marine Museum at Gopalpur-on-Sea. All the proposals of  the OASTC have been appreciated and recommended by its Management Board. The requirements on these newly proposed activities  are as follows:

v     The Management Board in its meeting held during 05-06 September 2008 has recommended that the OASTC Berhampur University should establish a Marine Museum at Gopalpur-on-Sea for which an amount of Rs.1 Crore has been recommended. The project proposal for the Museum is being prepared. Some additional amount to the tune of Rs.50 Lakhs per annum is necessary during the subsequent two years of the 11th Plan period ending by 31.03.2012. Therefore, the total cost for the Museum is projected to be Rs.2 crore.

v     The Management Board has recommended that the OASTC Berhampur University should prepare some monographs on sea turtle, horse-show crab, marine fungi and for this purpose the total fund requirement projected is Rs.15 lakhs.

v     The OASTC has issued advertisement inviting new proposals from the Research Scientists and academicians interested to undertake research in various thrust areas. A total of 08 such project proposals are under review which will be placed before the next meeting of the MB for its consideration. The total fund requirement for approved projects is projected at Rs.1.5 crore.