The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Tree guards are thieves' targets

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 06, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Tree guards are thieves' targets

P. Oppili

EASY TARGETS: Tree guards such as these are being stolen in the city.

CHENNAI: Green activists in the city are facing a new kind of problem these days — the metal tree guards around the saplings are getting stolen.

In Alwarpet and its neighbourhoods alone, more than 100 tree guards have been stolen in the last year, complain tree lovers.

The removal of guards would affect the tree's growth and the possibility of vandalism against the saplings, says D.Vijayabhaskaran of Exnora. Also, cattle eat away the saplings. The stolen tree guards end up at scrap merchants shop, he complains.

Most of the tree guards were being stolen during night and activists were unable to trace the offenders, he said. Green activists among Exnora representatives say they obtain the tree guards through sponsors, which is a very difficult task these days. The tree guard price ranged from Rs 450 to Rs 600 and whenever the guard is stolen, they find it difficult to replace them.

The sponsors are also hesitant to pay again for a new guard once they know the old one has been stolen. Thus the city greening programme gets affected. Asked whether they had filed police complaints, activists say so far they have not approached the men in uniform.

The activists feel that public cooperation is needed to curtail the stealing of guards. "Without the help and cooperation of members of public, it will be very difficult to protect both the saplings and the guard," Mr Vijayabhaskaran said.

The Forest department and the Chennai Corporation should come to the rescue of tree lovers and help protect the saplings and the tree guards from vandals and thieves, they say.

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