Constantly in the news for being unable to curtail sandalwood thefts on its vast campus, Bangalore University (BU) is now in talks with the Institute of Wood Science and Technology to install chips in sandalwood trees and number each of them.
The 1,100-acre Bangalore University campus is home to the largest number of sandalwood trees in the city; the bio park, which houses most of them, is itself is spread over 600 acres. A study conducted by the Department of Environmental Science of the varsity in 2019 shows that there are 2,444 sandalwood trees on the campus. However, the flipside has been that the site attracts thieves who have, for years, plundered this prized natural resource. An official from BU admitted that more than 40 trees have been missing from the campus in the last one year, most of them chopped and smuggled by miscreants.
Speaking to The Hindu, BU Vice-Chancellor K.R. Venugopal said at present, digital numbering of all sandalwood trees on the campus was going on. “Once this is completed, then decisions related to their security will be taken.” Prof. Venugopal admitted that there was no data at present on how many trees have gone missing. But he said instances of thefts had reduced during the pandemic years.
