Green murder: Now, trees being burnt by pouring acid on them

Bengaluru: As if the concretisation of tree roots to pave way for the construction of roads was not enough that aciding of trees has once again gained momentum.

At Kadarenahalli cross, on Dr Vishnuvardhaha road, the trunk of a gulmohar tree was drilled and poured acid in an attempt to do away with the tree.

However, city based environmentalist popularly known as tree doctor, Vijay Nishanth was alerted by locals who came to the spot and applied organic fungicide to seal the drilled portion.

"The acid is removed from the tree. It is treated and sealed. Sometime these issues take place either to increase the visibility of buildings or when trees become a problem for the commuters to park their vehicles," Nishanth said. Well, this is not the first case he came across. In 2017, acid was poured on the trunks of over 17 trees of which 14 were charred.

In the light of cutting down of trees for the visibility of hoardings, the Karnataka Lokayukta had passed an order that the forest cell of the Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) should ensure that none of the trees are cut for advertising.

The order says, "If any one causes damage either to the tree or the branches of the tree, it is the duty of the Forest Wing of the BBMP as well as the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force to take appropriate legal action with the assistance of the jurisdictional police." The order clearly instructs the civic authorities to remove hoardings and cancel the permission or license granted to such agencies.