A year after government order, Mysuru trees still trapped in concrete

The government order was meant to facilitate percolation of water, nutrition, adequate aeration to the roots, to promote their growth, health and survival.

Mysuru: It is exactly a year since the Forest department issued a Government Order requiring a one-metre space around the base of every roadside tree to be de-concretised and filled with soil.

Followed by report published in DH and with the directions of the then Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre, the GO was issued on June 17 2025.

This GO was to facilitate percolation of water, nutrition, adequate aeration to the roots, to promote their growth, health and survival. But many trees by road side in Mysuru city still remain covered with concrete, tar or interlocked tiles violating GO and the NGT ruling. 

Tree base covered with Tar on Temple road, VontiKoppal in Mysuru.

Upset over tree bases remaining choked and suffocated like this, Environmentalists of Parisarakkaagi Naavu led by Parashuramegowda are all set to take up a mega campaign to clear such tree bases on their own. They will launch the drive by clearing some on the road in front of JC Engineering college on World Environment day on June 5 at 8am, and urge the Forest Department and Mysore City Corporation to clear them and save them. 

The Greens like Sudheer Ganapathi, Shyamala, Sanjay Dattatri, Ravi Bale, have already identified such trees near Sri Chandramouleshwara temple circle on Kalidasa road; Gokulam first main; Temple road, Vontikoppal; 5th main, Paramahamsa road and Vivekananda road Yadavagiri; Kuvempu Trust road; Kannada Sahithya Parishat road near Chandrakala hospital circle in Vijaynagar; Sayyaji Rao road near Highway circle; near Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited opposite Eidgah ground in Tilak Nagar; Hanumanthnagar, Bannimantap C layout and many more roads. 

A Concretised Tree base near Sri Chandramouleshwara temple circle on Kalidasa road in Mysuru.

Some Environment lovers like Ganesh Hatwar have started clearing them near AIISH on JCE road and other places. Some Greens like Banu Prashanth, Leela Venkatesh have even cleared tree guards around fully green trees which were suffocating their growth; removed flexes nailed to some trees at few places. 

Trees planted by Venkatesh in Male Mahadeshwara Hill.

Venkatesh planting a seedling in Chamarajnagar.

GO based on DH Report

DH Mysuru edition had published a report on May 12, 2025, throwing light on the issue by highlighting National Green Tribunal (NGT) order. The then DCF Mysuru territorial division K N Basavaraju identified 108 trees on a total stretch of 11.44 km on eight major roads of Mysuru city and wrote to Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Commissioner Shaik Tanveer Asif to clear them.

Ganesh Hatwar, a Mysurean clears a Tree base near AIISH on JCE college road in Mysuru.

MCC Commissioner got them all cleared, and assured of clearing rest of the tree bases too in the entire city. He even took permanent steps to prevent it in future.

MCC approved a council decision, that any person who concretises tree bases have to deconcretise within months; else pay fine of Rs 2,000; henceforth all work orders will have conditions that the contractor will restore breathing space around tree bases. During an interview with DH the then Forest minister Khandre assured of a GO in this regard which applies to entire State. 

The then Principal Secretary for Forests Shivaprakash passed the GO, to not just save trees, but to ensure that they don't fall due to weak base and affect lives and property. The GO upheld the NGT order dated: 23.04.2013, in 0.A. no. 82/2013, Aditya N Prasad Vs Union of India & Ors case. Minister Khandre had cleared a base of a tree near Cantonment railway station in Bengaluru, to initiate the implementation of the GO. 

When contacted DCF K Paramesha, MCC Executive Engineer A N Madhusudhan assured of taking measures to clear these Tree bases in the city.