Despite high court order, trees in capital city continue to be defaced

Panaji: Failure of local authorities to enforce the decade-old high court order prohibiting the use of nails to fix advertisement materials to trees on Dayanand Bandodkar road in Panaji has irked citizens in the state city.

Former Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) councillor Patricia Pinto told TOI she had observed advertisement boards nailed to trees near a popular supermarket on the route to Mirmar beach, in violation of the high court order.

"The CCP should be alert. It is the responsibility of the corporation to enforce this court order. During my tenure, I would immediately summon the municipality supervisor and remove these posters," Pinto said.

Dadu Mandrekar, a social activist, said, "Nailing trees is cruelty. If one wishes to install a poster on the trees, it can be either tied or hung without nails. The CCP should immediately issue a circular and penalise the offenders."

Mandrekar pointed to a similar incident that occurred during Carnival 2014.

The contractor had fixed Carnival paraphernalia on the trees with long stapler pins. Instead of booking the culprits, the Panaji police forwarded the complaint to the Panaji deputy conservator of forest department for further action, claiming there to be no criminal case in the complaint, said Mandrekar. The activists argued that the police had erred since it was a clear violation of provisions of the Goa Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1988.

The state had assured the high court about a decade ago to remove nails from trees after complaints of their use near the Jardim Garcia de Orta in Panaji.

CCP mayor Surendra Furtado said, "I will look into the matter. Permissions have not been given by CCP to anyone to nail boards to trees. "