Brahmapur: The Ganjam district administration on Tuesday launched the ‘Free the Tree’ campaign in Brahmapur to remove nails, advertisement boards and other materials from roadside trees and protect the urban environment, an official said.
Ganjam Collector and District Magistrate Keerthi Vasan V said the campaign was launched as part of the ‘Aama Ganjam, Swachh Ganjam’ initiative and would be carried out in both urban and rural areas of the district.
“Today, under the ‘Aama Ganjam, Swachh Ganjam’ campaign, we visited different areas of Brahmapur town and removed gabions placed around trees as part of the ‘Free the Tree’ campaign,” Vasan said.
He said gabions placed around trees were being used by some people as makeshift dustbins, with garbage being dumped underneath them.
“To resolve this issue, we have taken up the work ourselves and will carry it out in both urban and rural areas,” the collector said.
The administration also removed nails hammered into the trunks of several roadside trees. Medicine was applied to the wounds caused by the nails, he said.
The collector urged people to protect trees and maintain a clean environment for future generations.
“Nature and the environment give us so much, and we must protect them. We should all have the mindset of preserving a beautiful environment for future generations,” he said.
The campaign was launched jointly by the Ganjam district administration and the Brahmapur Municipal Corporation.
On the first day, officials removed several advertisement boards, placards, tree guards, nails and other materials from roadside trees along the stretch from the Old Bus Stand area to SBI Chowk.
Several traders in the city had allegedly hammered nails into roadside trees to put up advertisement boards.
The administration said the campaign would continue in other areas to protect roadside trees and promote environmental awareness among people.
