ALUVA: Dr S Sitaraman (74), who was very much active in environmental and river conservation activities, passed away on Wednesday at his residence in Aluva. His body has been shifted to the mortuary of the Carmel Hospital, Ashokapuram. Funeral will take place once his sons return from abroad.

It was Sitaraman's wife who found him lying unconscious on the floor by around 10 am in the morning. Though he was soon rushed to the hospital, doctors were not able to save his life. He was the founder and long time president and secretary of the Aluva Environmental Protection Group. He is also the president of the Kerala River Protection Committee.

It was Sitaraman who raised voice against the Rainbow restaurant which was built by the tourism department on the banks of the Periyar river at a cost of Rs 1 crore in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone norms. The restaurant was eventually demolished. He also created small green jingles at Aluva Manappuram as part of coastal protection.

He was the Head of the Chemistry Department at Sree Sankara College, Kalady. After retirement, he became a lecturer at the Adi Shankara Institute of Technology, Kalady. Hw had won numerous environmental awards at the national and state levels.

He is survived by wife PE Parvathy, sons Jayanarayan and Hareeshwaran.