Major General’s crusade: Saving trees to the sedition law | India News
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MYUSURU: Major General SG Vombatkere (retd), who has sought the Supreme Court’s intervention to strike down the sedition law, is an active crusader on social, environmental and developmental issues. Vombatkere (79), who retired as additional DG discipline and vigilance in Army HQ, has been a resident of Mysuru for the past three decades from where he has been opposing projects which have an adverse impact on people.
He was reluctant to speak about his appeal against the sedition law due to security reasons. He also declined to talk about his personal life and would rather have people focus on his work.
Among the causes he has taken up are opposing the thermal power plant in Chamalapura near Mysuru, axing of trees on the heritage Narasimharaja Boulevard and protecting heritage buildings in the city. He’s a green campaigner who uses a bicycle to move around the city.
A few months ago, he objected to the building coming up at the Army canteen premises. He met the Mysuru City Corporation commissioner and asked for details.
Historian NS Rangaraju said Vombatkere is a man of high principles. “He’s a member of the Mysuru heritage committee and once he left the meeting because the deputy commissioner was late by 15 minutes. He left a letter asking the bureaucrat to be punctual,” he recalled.
Vombatkere led a campaign to save trees at the foothills of Chamundi Hills. The trees were to be axed to widen the stretch. He had also joined forces with Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar at the height of her agitation and invited her to Mysuru to create awareness about it.Vombatkere, who has a PhD in structural dynamics from IIT, Madras, has published 450 papers in national and international journals.
He was reluctant to speak about his appeal against the sedition law due to security reasons. He also declined to talk about his personal life and would rather have people focus on his work.
Among the causes he has taken up are opposing the thermal power plant in Chamalapura near Mysuru, axing of trees on the heritage Narasimharaja Boulevard and protecting heritage buildings in the city. He’s a green campaigner who uses a bicycle to move around the city.
A few months ago, he objected to the building coming up at the Army canteen premises. He met the Mysuru City Corporation commissioner and asked for details.
Historian NS Rangaraju said Vombatkere is a man of high principles. “He’s a member of the Mysuru heritage committee and once he left the meeting because the deputy commissioner was late by 15 minutes. He left a letter asking the bureaucrat to be punctual,” he recalled.
Vombatkere led a campaign to save trees at the foothills of Chamundi Hills. The trees were to be axed to widen the stretch. He had also joined forces with Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar at the height of her agitation and invited her to Mysuru to create awareness about it.Vombatkere, who has a PhD in structural dynamics from IIT, Madras, has published 450 papers in national and international journals.
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