City professor creates six sanctuaries for sparrows

“We don’t have enough tree cover where sparrows can breed. A sanctuary is a natural reserve where birds are protected and building them is one of the best ways to protect the birds. Since the schools are shut because of the pandemic, I thought creating sanctuaries on the school premises would be the best option. The first school where we installed nest boxes is Revoor Padmanabha Chetty Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Kaladipet,” says Ganesan. He is also the founder of Koodugal Trust, an organisation that works to promote awareness on sparrows and conserve them by providing boxes. 

An assistant professor at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Ganesan has built the nest boxes using wooden planks and placed them in five schools and one apartment complex. The schools in which nests are installed are Revoor Padmanabha Chetty Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Kaladipet, Nehru Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Thiruvottiyur, Maharishi Vidya Mandir School, Thiruvottiyur, Sri Sankara Kendra Vidyalaya School, Thiruvottiyur and Kavi Bharathi Vidyalaya school, Thiruvottiyur. “Our dream is to manufacture 10,000 nests and place them in various parts of Chennai, Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur and Chengalpattu. Around 70 per cent of the work is completed – we are looking for sponsors to finish the rest of the work. SRM faculties are also helping me to achieve this dream project. A few students from SRM are developing a machine for cutting work to reduce the manufacturing cost of the nest boxes,” the professor adds.