A citizen campaign is gathering momentum in Ranchi’s HEC grounds, where residents are using art, community meetings and legal action to oppose a proposed 10-lane road project and the tree felling they fear it could cause. The campaign, called Hamari Ranchi, has turned the grounds into a public forum featuring music sessions, art workshops, yoga, reading circles and activities for children.
The initiative began on October 3 after Ranchi resident and product designer Shailesh Krishna noticed trees along the proposed road alignment marked with paint. Concerned that the road-widening project could lead to large-scale tree felling, Krishna suggested painting the trees and using art to represent their ecological and social value.
“If a paint mark could signify the death of a tree, why not create art that signifies its life and our connection with it?” Krishna said. His appeal on social media drew residents to the initiative the following day. According to Krishna, nearly 200 to 300 trees have since been painted as part of the campaign.
The movement has grown beyond the initial tree-painting activity. Residents are holding community gatherings, or baithaks, to emphasise the importance of the HEC grounds as a shared public space, particularly for children. The organisers have drawn inspiration from Mumbai’s Save Aarey movement, which combined public mobilisation, cultural activity and legal action around concerns over tree loss.
Krishna said around 1,978 trees had been marked along the proposed road alignment. He claimed that the wider impact could extend to more than 7,000 trees, including saplings and younger plantations in nearby areas. The figures have been presented by the campaign organisers and were not independently established in the supplied report.
The proposed road project has not been described in further detail in the report, including its executing agency, construction schedule, land requirement or the status of statutory approvals. These details will be important in determining the project’s likely impact and the authorities’ obligations before any tree felling takes place.
Hamari Ranchi has submitted representations to government agencies and is considering legal action. Mental health professional Prerna, who joined the initiative, said the group was working to obtain the required project documents and preparing its legal plans. The campaign’s next steps will depend on the responses from government agencies and the availability of official project records.
