After the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) of Sector 49 D, now it’s the railways that have painted trees in Tricolour in and around Chandigarh railway station. Advertising “It is just a beautification drive,” says Station Director Hari Deep Kumar. According to experts, however, it is an irreversible damage to the trees as paints have chemicals. When asked, Station Director Kumar questioned back, “What is wrong in it…It is very common.” Any kind of destruction to trees is a violation of Chandigarh Tree Preservation Order 1952. However, the station director said that all these trees are on railways land. Executive engineer of the horticulture wing of Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, Krishan Pal Singh, however said railways can’t do it. “The colours will damage the trees.” Former Principal of Chandigarh College of Architecture, Professor Rajnish Wattas, said they need not display their patriotism on trees and flowers by painting them in saffron, white and green. “These paints are chemicals and will do irreversible damage to the trees,” Wattas said, adding that this should be stopped else all others will start following the suit. Environmentalist Rahul Mahajan told Chandigarh Newsline that the pores of the trees have been blocked by painting them. “These trees will slowly die now. The cells of the trees have been damaged. The paint will cause blockage in conduction channels,” Mahajan said. He added that sometimes tree trunks are painted in white, which is actually lime wash mixed with fungicides and insecticides, to protect them from insects and fungal diseases. In December, the Residents Welfare Association of Sector 49 D had painted over 250 Alstonia Scholaris trees in Tricolour. After the Municipal Corporation objected and told them that it was a violation of the Chandigarh Tree Preservation Act 1952, the RWA then went ahead to cover them up by whitewashing the Tricolour. Advertising The RWA had stated that the “trees were looking dull” and that is why they painted them ahead of Republic Day.

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