Sir,

Kitchen or backyard gardening has its own limitations and side effects in urban areas today where dwelling units are measured as per cost per square feet.

In olden days many of us stayed in small villages and towns in huge ancestral homes and a vastly spread backyard not only to grow flowering plants but also trees.

As we shift to cities, we have limitations of square feet of living areas and very small scope for flowering plants.

These being the situation many people in our neighbourhood still are growing tall trees like drumsticks where roots will be there in their compound and branches hitting the walls of neighbour’s house.

Backyard and utility is the place where we keep our washing machines and dry our clothes. This type of tree is home for ants, caterpillars (kambali hula or blanket worm). Next morning when we take out our dried clothes we will be bitten by the ants or the worm leaves an itching injury. Many times leaves accumulate near wash basin draining point and choke the drainage.

Growing plants that grow across neighbourhood is an offence (Cr.PC133-Public nuisance), whether it is in urban area or concerning an agricultural property.

Citizens should keep their gardening hobby limited to their compounds without disturbing their neighbours. People should also desist from growing plants below power lines, regarding which an article had already appeared in this newspaper sometime back. We should not bring down a 9 metre road to 6 metre road by encroaching both sides of roads by planting trees.

If we are green lovers we should join campaigns like seed ball campaign and spread greenery over hills like Chamundi Hill or on the sides of Highways like our own Salumarada Thimmakka is doing.

– Ashok L. Joshi, Hootagalli, 5.7.2018

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