The branches of wayside trees that pose threat to pedestrians and vehicles will be pruned before the onset of southwest monsoon.
Mayor Soumini Jain issued instructions to Corporation Secretary A.S. Anuja to pool the applications that were received from various divisions of the civic body and act on them.
The decision was announced in the corporation council meeting on Wednesday after councillors from the West Kochi area narrated the incidents of rain fury the area had witnessed last week. Those who brought the issue to the notice of the council included Benedict Fernandez, Saneesha Ajeeb, Bindu Levin, K.J. Prakashan, Shyamala S. Prabhu and Sunitha Ashraf.
Heavy wind and downpour uprooted some trees and the branches of some wayside trees came down. Most of the services to the area including power, cable TV, telephone lines and even water supply were disrupted in the process.
A few vehicles were damaged as branches of trees fell on them. It took at least two days for the restoration of vehicular movement along the roads as it took considerable time and effort for cutting and removing branches of trees, complained the civic representatives.
The councillors complained that they didn’t get much assistance from the civic body for dealing with the crisis situation. The vehicles of the civic body were not available on time for removing the debris including wood. The Mayor and other civic heads didn’t visit the affected areas, they complained during the discussion.
Replying to the debate, Ms. Jain said the primary responsibility of disaster and crisis management was with revenue and fire department officials. The civic body had also tried to chip in with its resources. After evaluating the situation, the chairperson of the Health Standing Committee was directed to coordinate the rescue and relief measures, she said.
Heated arguments
The council meeting also witnessed heated arguments between the Mayor and opposition members as she turned down the demand for a Vigilance probe into the additional liability of ₹1crore incurred by the civic body on account of a new agreement for transporting waste to Brahmapuram treatment plant.
The Mayor insisted that a Vigilance probe could be sought only after getting a primary report from the Secretary on the loss incurred by the corporation.
Opposition’s stand
However, the opposition pointed out that a fair probe would not be possible by the Secretary as the Steering Committee of the civic body, in which she was also a member, decided to award the contract for the transportation of waste to Brahmapuram
