Vaccine Institute crying for attention

Spread over a sprawling 152 acres in Belgaum's Tilakwadi locality the Vaccine Institute is crying for attention. Covered by unique indigenous trees, medicinal herbs and colonial structure the institute is fit to be a heritage centre.

The flora and fauna and thick green cover have made the Institute premises the home for large variety of birds besides being a favourite place for morning walkers. Efforts by land mafia to grab the land have been foiled thanks to alert citizens who resisted the attempts.

Regional director (Environment) Udaykumar Kottur said there are about 117 categories of birds among which many are seen rarely. There are vagrant species which are visible only once in a decade. The directorate is planning to propose to the government that the area be declared as protected area and be the place to carry out studies on plants and trees in the premises.

The Vaccine Institute, which was closed about a year ago, has a history of its own. Established in 1904 exclusively for the manufacture of small pox vaccine, the institute was one among the four in India selected for manufacture of anti-rabies vaccine.

It was one of the 14 institutes selected by the World Health Organisation (WHO) selected for manufacture of FD Small Pox vaccine. But in view of zero incidence of Small Pox in the country the manufacturing of Small Pox vaccine was stopped in 1978 and in March 2005 the manufacturing of anti-rabies vaccine was also stopped after the WHO banned the vaccine.

The vegetation and geographical topography of the institute serve as the natural breeding ground for the birds. Birds like barbets, hornbills, bee-eaters, bulbuls, kingfishers, owls, robins, larks, kites, parakeets, bush chats, white throated flycatchers and Tickell's flycatchers breed in the area.

Come winter and one can see grey herons, white storks, collards scops owl, pallied harriers, red-black headed bunting and booted warbler among others.

Uday Kumar said vagrant birds like the blue-tailed bee-eater and Indian pitta are seen once in a decade. The forest department has planted acacia trees on the campus in huge quantity in a bid to provide green cover.

The move has also helped prevent encroachment of land. Geologists who have conducted tests here said the watershed and rain-water harvesting models would help improve the water table in the region as there are streams running in the vicinity.

The institute houses rare vaccine manufacturing equipment, which gives it the potential to be converted into a medical museum. An environment education centre in one of the vacant structures would bring the children nearer to nature, Uday Kumar said.

He also suggested that a park authority under the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner could be set up to maintain and protect the area.