Chhattisgarh government orders to stop painting trees as beautification drive

Environmentalists said that painting trees cause irreparable damages and might even result in death of the entire plant.

A painted tree at a roadside in Chhattisgarh Photo | Express

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Housing and Environment department has issued an order to all government offices including district collectors not to allow painting of the trees as part of beautification drive and has asked officials to initiate action against those responsible or found accused engaged in such unacceptable acts.

The unrestrained exercise by government agencies and private organisations in Chhattisgarh to paint the trees has invited the wrath of environmentalists who asserted such practice besides causing irreparable damages might even result in death of the entire plant.

The official directive was issued following the concern expressed by an environmental activist Nitin Singhvi to the state chief secretary after the Special Area Development Authority (SADA) painted over 75 trees on both sides of the road during the state’s Sirpur Mahotsav 2024 in adjoining Mahasamund district. He appealed to the chief secretary to give an instruction to the housing and environment department to place an order to prohibit painting of trees. 

The government departments and municipal corporations continuing with such repeated activity for a long time and spending lakhs to colour the trunk and bark of trees with chemical paints created apprehension among the experts familiar with plant life over the vulnerability of causing damage to the tissues and cells of plants.

“Hope other states in the country also take cognizance of such unwise ill-suited exercise. We have seen dying evergreens due to the chemical paints applied on the main stem of trees and plants in the prime locations and parks of Raipur. Why should the huge money be squandered to paint and give designs as beautification plans that pose risk to the survival of the trees!”, said Singhvi, who was trying for the past five years to prevent various departments often seen making a mess of nature through such practices.

The professors and researchers too earlier expressed their concern on the routine painting of trees. “Woody plants whose bark thickness are less may suffer perceivable damage”, stated Dr M L Nayak, former vice-chancellor Bastar University and an expert in plant life.

Environmentalist and professor of chemistry Dr Shams Parvez at Raipur-based Pt Ravi Shankar University cited that the paints carry harmful chemicals like lead, cadmium, mercury, other elements and he felt the need for scientific research be conducted on the effect of paints on the life or growth of plants.