Despite the government orders for removal of advertisements or signboards from Chinar trees in Kashmir, the concerned authorities here have failed to abide by the order as signboards, mostly advertisement material installed on Chinar trees can be seen at various places in Ganderbal town.
Hoardings and signboards of various private institutions and agencies can be seen installed on Chinar trees here.
Environment experts said that by fixing the signboards and other allied material, Chinar trees get damaged and their natural beauty also suffers.
Last year, Srinagar district administration under the Jammu and Kashmir Specified Trees Act, 1969 ordered a ban on installing advertisements or signboards on Chinar trees in the district and directed all the tehsildars and Floriculture Department to ensure removal of all hoardings and signboards fixed on Chinar trees in the territorial jurisdiction of Srinagar district.
The order cited earlier order by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir that had directed all the Deputy Commissioners to impose a blanket ban on such activities and also directed them to ensure that all the hoardings and other signboards should be removed from the Chinar trees in a missionary mode.
In pursuance to these orders many departments including the Directorate of Tourism, Kashmir and Directorate of Industries and Commerce issued circulars in their respective offices to do the needful. However, there seems to be no action taken by the concerned department regarding the removal of signboards from Chinar trees along Beehama-Duderhama area in Ganderbal.
Tehsildar Ganderbal Mushtaq Ahmed Bijard said that he would look into the issue and take it up with Municipal Council Ganderbal.
Chairman Municipal Council Ganderbal Altaf Lone said that the hoardings installed in violation within the jurisdiction of Municipal Council Ganderbal would be removed.