THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A casual drive along the Kowdiar stretch in the capital turned out to be a traumatic experience for 58-year-old Titus Antony and his wife. Never in their wildest dreams, did they imagine they would experience such a life-threatening experience when they ventured out on Saturday afternoon for a casual drive and shopping.
“We are still in a state of shock and it happened all of a sudden and I didn’t even get the time to respond or apply the brake. It’s unbelievable we came out alive and escaped without even a scratch from the car which was totally buried under the huge tree. Fortunately, the dangerous parts of the trees hit the bonnet and bumper,” says Titus Antony, who miraculously escaped from a tree mishap which happened near Raj Bhavan in the heart of the city.
Despite, the capital being one of the greenest cities in the state with a rich green cover, the authorities including the city corporation, PWD, and Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) are yet to come up with proactive steps or an action plan to ensure regular maintenance and upkeep of the trees round the year. Though the authorities claim to have done pruning, it’s not done in a scientific manner. When contacted, an official associated with the maintenance of trees on the Kowdiar stretch said that they pruned the branches of the trees very recently.
“Our pruning is strictly restricted to 5.5 metres of a tree and if the tree is taller we cannot do much. Recently we cut down the branches and unfortunately, the majority of the trees along Kowdiar are taller. The authorities should have a separate plan for such trees,” said an official of Trivandrum Road Development Corporation Ltd (TRDCL), the concessionaire entrusted by KRFB for maintaining the road. In recent years, the weather pattern has become unpredictable and heavy rain and wind have become a regular affair in the state. Recurring tree-related incidents because of ill- maintained trees are becoming common and turning catastrophic for motorists and pedestrians alike.
According to officials of the social forestry wing under the forest department many trees in the capital are age-old and it’s high time the concerned authorities took action. The official said that green cover or urban forestry components should be included in every road development project. “The government should take a policy decision to include green cover while planning road development projects,” said the official. Criticising the department concerned, the official said that the authorities only seek consent for cutting dangerous trees.
“It’s like inviting mishaps and the departments should take the issue very seriously and prepare a list of dangerous trees and take care of them either by translocating or axing them,” the official added. Interestingly, the departments blame each other and do nothing to prevent such mishaps. An official of the city corporation said that they didn’t receive any complaints from KRFB regarding the trees.