One of the most common ways to celebrate the festive season is by putting up lights. The Corporation, however, is sending out a message that this cannot be done at the cost of harming trees.

Lights that were entwined around trees were removed recently from footpaths of BA, CA, and CB Blocks. “The resolution to remove such lights was taken at a board meeting in December 2023. Following that, we removed these lights from my ward, but six months later, some were put up again. In some cases, they were installed by new establishments,” said Rajesh Chirimar, councillor for Ward 39.

Of late, such lights have mushroomed across the township, especially outside cafés and shops. These can heat up the trees, and the electrical flow from the wires disrupts their ability to pump water and nutrients. The artificial lighting also affects the sleep-wake cycles of birds, bats, squirrels, and other animals that live on the trees, and this can impact their reproduction.

“We repeatedly request commercial establishments to remove these lights. If they do not comply, we confiscate the lights,” Chirimar said, adding that they are constrained by the limited resources of the Corporation.

“We can identify such trees, but to remove the lights we require staff, ladders, and electricians to be available on the same day,” he explained.

Lights were removed from around 15 trees in the ward on December 11 and 12. There was little resistance from the establishments, and local residents were pleased. “Commercial ventures try to deflect responsibility by claiming that everyone is doing it, but that’s no logic. Residents are already fed up with stores around them flouting rules. These establishments encroach on footpaths, and operate late into the night, creating noise. So when residents saw us taking action regarding the lights, they were happy to see discipline being enforced,” Chirimar remarked.

The initiative to remove the lights was conceived by Rahima Bibi Mondal, mayor-in-council member in charge of the environment. “Over the past year, some councillors have sought our services to remove lights from their wards, but I want more of them to come forward. These lights are a nuisance only in Salt Lake; they are not seen in the Rajarhat part of the Corporation,” Mondal said.

She said an establishment might be allowed to put up these lights for a day during the festive season but anything beyond that would lead to action by the authorities. “There is no provision for fines but we are confiscating the lights. Since we do not have any use for them, we may return them if the stores request. But they cannot put them up again,” she warned.