The silent victims: How fancy lighting around trees in Pune is slowly killing them

During festival seasons, trees across Pune are transformed into glittering spectacles. Decorative cables are wrapped tightly around the bark and branches, metal hooks puncture tender bark, and the constant heat from lights slowly burns the tree’s protective layers. What looks like urban beautification is actually an assault on urban ecology.

“Due to the brightness, trees find it difficult to sense the day-night cycle, which affects their health and also causes their eventual death. I complain about such instances on X (formerly Twitter) by tagging the Pune Municipal Commissioner’s handle and other departments but rarely see any action. In cases where action is taken, there is a recurrence of such cases in the same place, indicating that there is laxity in implementing these actions,” said Subramani.

Is it legal though to have such wrappings around the trees? “These are illegal decorative lighting. In response to the complaints, we first warn the concerned party and then remove them. But the primary responsibility lies with the Electricity Department, as we don’t have a technical staff to handle electric wires,” said Ashok Ghorpade, PMC’s Garden Department head.

“The Tree Department is divided into 15 wards, we have tree inspectors appointed in each ward to save trees. The required action is taken under The Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975,” added Ghorpade.

Residents complain about the rising cases of such incidents and have demanded strict action under The Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1995 and Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Dr Shrikant Kavade, a botanist, warns that decorative lights can disrupt the delicate balance of nature. These lights can hinder the natural rhythms of plants, affecting their growth, flowering and seed dispersal. Moreover, they can confuse and harm pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, which are crucial for plant reproduction. Urban trees, already stressed by pollution and limited space, are particularly vulnerable to these light disturbances, said Kavade.

Manisha Shekatkar, head of the Electricity Department of PMC, said that they’re not in charge of removing the decorative lights. “That’s the Garden Department’s job,” she said.

With each department passing the responsibility around, it may be a long time before the city hears or heeds to the silent cries of these urban giants.