Mysuru forest department bans tree illumination for Dasara; 59% monsoon deficit hits 1.43 lakh hectares

Mysuru's Forest Department has issued a permanent ban on using trees for festival illumination, responding to sustained advocacy from the Mysore Grahakara Parishat. The order comes as the district simultaneously grapples with a 59 percent south west monsoon rainfall deficit, with crop losses recorded across 143,308 hectares of agricultural land and a relief request of Rs 12,234 lakh sent to the Centre.

🤝 Forest Department permanently bans tree-wiring for Dasara illumination in Mysuru

Mysuru's Forest Department took a decisive step this week to protect the city's tree cover, with Deputy Conservator of Forests K Paramesha issuing an order banning the use of trees for any form of illumination. The directive was addressed to the Mysore City Corporation Commissioner and the Managing Director of Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation, instructing both agencies to stop attaching electrical wires to trees for Dasara or any other occasion henceforth. Forest officials have also warned CESC and its contractors that they will face action under the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act of 1976 if they fail to remove existing wires from trees across the city. The order follows sustained civic advocacy: members of the Mysore Grahakara Parishat had sent formal representations to the Forest Department, CESC, and MCC the previous month, urging an end to this longstanding practice. The Forest Department and MCC had each separately communicated with CESC on the same matter. Deccan Herald, which first reported the campaign, had also raised the issue during the previous Dasara season. The ban represents a permanent policy shift covering all public events across Mysuru, not merely Dasara, and is intended to safeguard the health of the city's trees and the birds and animals that inhabit them. The order marks a significant policy achievement for citizens who have been raising concerns about this practice for several years. [1]

🗳️ Mysuru records 59% monsoon deficit, seeks Rs 12,234 lakh drought relief from Centre

Mysuru district faced a severe agricultural crisis in the 2026 Kharif season after recording a 59 percent deficit in south west monsoon rainfall from June 1 to September 30. The district received an average of only 172.4 mm of rainfall against the normal seasonal average of 418.5 mm, reflecting one of the driest monsoon periods in recent years. The shortfall severely disrupted sowing operations: farmers completed planting across 276,394 hectares, representing just 73 percent of the targeted 376,609 hectares for the season. Crop losses were subsequently recorded across more than 33 percent of sown land, a total of 143,308 hectares, prompting the district administration to formally seek Rs 12,234.22 lakh in relief under SDRF norms. The Centre's Inter-Ministerial Central Team visited Mysuru district to conduct an on-ground assessment of the drought and crop damage, and district officials presented the full picture of losses distributed across individual taluks. Hunsur recorded the largest area of crop failure at 39,034 hectares, followed by HD Kote at 26,646 hectares, Nanjangud at 21,959 hectares, and Saragur at 14,617 hectares. Taluk-level monsoon deficits varied considerably: KR Nagar saw a 70 percent shortfall, Hunsur 59 percent, and HD Kote 39 percent. The breadth of crop losses across virtually every taluk underscores the depth of agrarian stress in Mysuru ahead of the upcoming Dasara festival season. [6]

Sources: [1] Deccan Herald · [6] Deccan Herald