Mumbai: Group of Youth Spends New Year Removing Illegal Hoardings Nailed On Trees

The Navi Mumbai Networking volunteers took a bold step this New Year by removing illegal hoardings and banners that were hammered into the trees with nails.

Youth Takes Action

The project was started from Vashi on December 31 where they targeted the illegal banners on tree trunks and branches. The volunteers worked tirelessly the entire night, removing several illegal banners as well as the nails and screws that were holding them together.

Sundeep Sharma, the founder of the Navi Mumbai Networking said, “When you hammer nails into trees, it is a violation of the tree preservation rules and regulations and can also fatally harm the trees,” according to The Times of India.

The volunteers have submitted all the leaflets to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) which is planning to take action against these illegal advertisements.

The Problem Continues

However, even as the civic authorities are taking action against this issue, many advertising companies have started drilling or hammering nails into trees to put the banners up.

This has proven to be exceptionally harmful to many trees especially palm trees. At Kharghar, many palm trees have been immensely damaged due to the drillings. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) horticulture officer, Geeta Sawant said to The Times of India, “I will be speaking to the Kharghar-based executive engineer of CIDCO about the damage done to the trees. Smaller trees such as palm can even die if nails are hammered into them.”

She further added that attempts will be made to remove as many nails as possible, but it is not only Kharghar that is being affected. Palm trees in Kamothe are also falling prey to these banners. In fact, the hoarding menace even extends to Punjab and Haryana and ironically, most of the banners are being put up by political leaders and belong to several prominent political parties.

The Logical Indian Take

It is a shame that our own political leaders are turning a blind eye to this growing menace and are themselves violating the laws of environmental protection. The defacement of the public and private property has become a common trait amongst political parties now and the health and condition of the trees of the country lie in the hands of mere citizens.

We hope that the actions of the Navi Mumbai Networking send strong messages to the public and illegal hoardings come to a halt.