As many as 119 trees fell across the city following heavy rain and squall on Saturday night. Of these, 40 were in West zone. Residents were worried as in many case branches had fallen on wires and overhead cables.
Residents say that the problem could have been averted if officials had responded to their warnings. Haseeb Sharieff of Benson Town had complained to the BBMP and Forest Department about a bent tree in front of their house, but in vain. "On Saturday around 12.45 a.m., the tree fell on our house. There are high tension wires nearby. BBMP officials cleared it on Sunday but the damage has been done," said Mr. Sharieff.
Intiaz Ahmed Khan, a resident of Pulakeshi Nagar, said that civic workers removed a tree which had fallen. "Our councillor visited the spot," he added.
"BBMP officials are doing their best to attend to problems and solve them as soon as possible," said A.R. Zakir, councillor of Pulakeshi Nagar ward.
Vinay Sreenivasa of Hasiru Usiru sought an enquiry on the cause of trees being uprooted as the number is too high to ignore. "Was it due to cement around the base, weakening of roots due to road construction, pest attack or high wind speed?" said Mr. Sreenivasa. While softwood trees like Gulmohar do get uprooted in heavy rain, hardwood trees are also getting damaged, he pointed out.
