BENGALURU: Against the city corporation’s claim of identifying dangerous trees and branches and removing them, residents across the city said their complaints haven’t been attended to, and if hanging branches and weak trees fall, it will be a perfect recipe for disaster. They expressed concern that they could fall anytime the city receives heavy rain, accompanied by strong winds.
Chandru, a shopkeeper opposite the Government Model Primary School, 9thB Cross, Hosahalli in Vijayanagar, said, “Due to heavy rain and wind, tree branches have tilted and are in a dangerous position. A tree has leaned on the school compound and is likely to fall anytime.”
He said that residents lodged complaints with the city corporation officials and Bescom. “Teams from the corporation and Bescom arrived. However, they have done a half-hearted job, trimming some branches and leaving the remaining unattended. The leaning branches would create damage and claim lives,” Chandru said.
This is not the case of Vijayanagar alone, but many parts of Bengaluru, like Indiranagar and Sadashivnagar. Citizens said that despite raising complaints of dangerous trees and branches, and also fallen trees and branches to be cleared, the complaints have remained unattended.
An Indiranagar resident posted that a large tree branch near CMH Hospital is hanging dangerously and could fall anytime, risking injury to pedestrians, and added that despite raising the issue, there was no response. A senior official from Greater Bengaluru Authority’s forest wing said, “Ever since the formation of GBA in September last year till March, we carried out a survey to find dangerous trees and branches.
We found over 1,100 trees that were weak and removed them. We pruned over 10,000 branches. Despite that, tree-fall incidents are high this year as the rains were heavy, accompanied by strong winds and hailstorms.”
Between April 29 and May 29, the city lost 949 trees and 2,066 branches. Of this, according to forest officials, a majority have been cleared. “Except for 30 trees and 68 branches, our team has cleared all,” he said.
He said that incidents of tree fall were high in Bengaluru West City Corporation, followed by South and Central. Sophora (Japanese Pagoda tree), Peltophorum and Gulmohar trees were among the ones which topped the list. The official said the trees that are getting uprooted are mainly exotic softwood trees and were planted just for aesthetics.
Replying to questions on complaints from residents who are not being attended to, the official said that the forest wing is severely understaffed, with only 15 staff. “As we have to prioritise, first the fallen trees would be cleared, then we will attend to the dangerous trees”, he said.