NAGPUR: The first scene to pop up in one's mind, when thinking bio-terrorism, may be out of Manoj Night Shyamalan's film "The Happening": people
dropping dead like dry leaves because of toxic substances being given out by plants. However, on Monday, Venkatesh Meda painted a totally different picture as he spoke of food hubs being attacked, leading to food shortage.
This associate professor from University of Saskatchewan in Canada was in Nagpur on Monday to deliver a series of lectures on food technology and food processing at the Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT).
Speaking to TOI, Meda said that food crisis was a tangible truth across the world and the day might not be far when miscreants target food or food supply at specific places to cripple a system or an organisation. They may also try to introduce life-threatening substances in food items, thereby affecting the entire population of a region.
"Such an attack may have manifold repercussions, with the entire food chain being affected. However, research has begun at the highest levels, in association with the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), to prevent exactly this kind of scenario. India is very proactive in anticipating and planning for such an eventuality," he added.
On a different note, Meda invited the Dr Raju Mankar, director of LIT, to enter into at least a memorandum of agreement (MoA), if not a memorandum of understanding (MoU), with his university. "There will be no financial commitments, but the agreement would enable an exchange of students and faculty between the two institutions," Meda explained.
Although Meda himself may not have the authority to ink such an agreement, he said he would help in the ground work for the same. "If any such collaboration takes place, there is scope for a good deal of research on subjects like processing of cereals, food and vegetables using radio frequency and microwave," he added.