GUWAHATI, Dec 8 � Centurion Cotton College is hosting a three-day International Geographical Union (IGU) commissioned seminar on �Land Use and Biodiversity and Climate Change� from December 11. This is the first international event of its kind organized by any college of the State. The Geography Department of the college is organizing the seminar.
College principal Dr Indra Kumar Bhattacharyya, who is the chairman of the organizing committee, told newspersons at a press conference here today that 360 research papers, covering 11 sub-themes, have so far been received for presentation in the seminar and 830 scholars have confirmed their participation in the event. Of them, 24 are foreign scholars. The IGU is the apex organization of the geographers of the world. It earlier held such events in different parts of the world. It needs mention here that the event coincides with the World Biodiversity Year.
There will be six parallel technical sessions to cover the 11 sub-themes and each day's programme will start with a plenary session comprising renowned scholars from the country and abroad.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is expected to inaugurate the seminar at a function scheduled for 9-30 am of December 11 at the Kalaguru Bishnuprasad Rabha Auditorium of the college. Professor Udo Schickhoff of Germany, who is the president, IGU Commission for Biogeography and Biodiversity, Prof G Bellezza of Italy, who is the vice chairman of the IGU and Prof Yokio Himiyama of Japan; who is the vice president of the IGU will attend the inaugural function of the seminar as guests of honour.
Government of Assam, particularly the Chief Minister of the State, North Eastern Council, Earth Science Department of the Union Government, ICSSR, INSAC, UGC and Department of Science and Technology have sponsored the event, said Dr Bhattacharyya.
Addressing the media persons, convenor of the organizing committee Dr Mahfuza Rahman, said that all the states of the country will have their representation in the seminar and abstracts of the papers received for it are being published in one volume. A souvenir is also being published on the occasion.
An estimated amount of Rs 20 lakh is being spent to organise the seminar. But the participants are charged only a nominal registration fee, she said.
The papers submitted for the seminar will be made available in the form of e-proceeding format, said Dr Pradip Sarma, joint convenor of the organizing committee. The response of the scholars to the seminar is very encouraging, he said.
He also apprised the newspersons that the guests of the seminar would be taken to Kuruwa and other areas during their field visits to give them an impression of the phenomenon of char (sand bar) inherent in the mighty river's system.
