Twenty-five volunteers of Angolichi Goli have removed 5,700 nails from around 2,000 trees in the past one year. The group also intends to reach out to civic bodies to form rules against nailing of advertisements and posters on trees.

Around a year back, a group of youngsters decided to start a campaign called ‘Nail Free Tree’, where every weekend they would visit different localities to remove nails from trees.

On Sunday morning, the group, along with residents from Dadar, covered the Vaidya Road area in Dadar (West). This was their way of giving back to ‘Mother Earth’ on Mother’s Day, group members said.

Sonal Menon, an entrepreneur from Dadar, who had invited the group, her family members and friends to join the drive at Dadar, said that the neighbourhood has been witnessing a lot of tree cutting owing to the ongoing metro work.

“I had seen a banner pinned on a tree sometime back. That is when I realised that an initiative like this is needed to help people understand the importance of trees,” said Menon.

Tushar Warang, district co-ordinator for Nail Free Tree, said that they have been reaching out to various authorities explaining to them that nailing banners on trees goes against Tree Act, Environment Protection Act and Maharashtra Defacement of Property Act.

“According to a study it was found that even trees have feelings and when nails are used on their bark and trunk, their veins weaken, which further affects photosynthesis. That being the case, we don’t get oxygen to live if we keep defacing trees,” said Warang.

Warang said that they have found 50 nails and screws in trees which they removed with the help of instruments and they fill the hole with wax.

“Replicating this idea, we have kicked off similar campaign in Latur and Osmanabad because we face severe water scarcity there. I am hoping this would help bring about a balance there,” said Balaji Sagar, a volunteer from the group.

According to an order issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in April 2013, trees should not be used to support advertisements or banners.

First Published: May 13, 2019 14:31 IST