The city of Bangalore is reeling with visual pollution which is also disastrous for trees
20th December 2020
Bangalore: An initiative by a group of locals has pledged to take down these posters and nails from trees. “We have collected around 500 nails from 60 trees, we are going to collect more,” said Vinod Kartavaya, Nail free campaign founder. The locals plan to give it to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). He said it would be “a gift” to them. “They should take some serious action on it,” he added.
BBMP said nobody has been booked or penalised under the law since it was passed in 2019. They claim that the shortage of staff has often resulted in low arrests or none at all. “When we do find someone, we beat them up and bring them to the office with all their material,” said H.S Ranganatha Swamy, Deputy Conservator of Forests BBMP. “People usually go to the government to demand action, the government can only do so much,” he added.
A study shows that the city’s green cover has come down from 68 percent in 1973 to six percent in 2017, experts call this an alarmingly drop with the speed urbanisation is taking over in Bangalore.
Environmentalists said that these nails puncture the layers of a tree that leads to infections and consequently reduces their lifecycle. Environmentalists warn that the metal used is prone to rust and lead to corrosion hence be toxic for trees. “For old trees, it is very difficult to recover from the damage,” said Naveen J.H, environmentalists. “The impact on trees is long-lasting, so don’t put nails, staples or banners on trees,” he added.
Even after the high court ruling, there is no action by authorities on the ground level. Vinod Kartavaya said that his campaign should be a ringing bell for the civic body of Bangalore.
