Calcutta, Feb. 16 :    Calcutta, Feb. 16:  The government is drawing up legislation to prevent cruelty to trees in the state. This was announced by a government-appointed lawyer in the court of Chief Justice A.K. Mathur on Friday, during the hearing of a petition on the matter by the Green Bench. The proposed legislation, called West Bengal Protection of Trees in Non-Forest Areas Act, bans planting nails on trees. A petition was filed by environmental activist Subhas Dutta nearly six months ago, seeking an order restraining different agencies from hanging hoardings and display boards on trees by driving nails into their trunks. The bench, comprising Chief Justice A.K. Mathur and Justice Girish Gupta, directed the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) to prepare a report on the effect of the act on trees. The BSI director on Friday submitted a report, saying that the nails affect trees adversely. The government counsel informed the court that legislation is being drawn up, prohibiting cruelty to trees in non-forest areas, particularly in the city proper. Chief Justice Mathur directed the state government to expedite the enactment of the proposed legislation and stop further nailing till the new Act comes into force.