When the first summer showers lashed Mysuru last Monday, rain, accompanied by strong winds, brought down many tree branches on the road and parked cars, disrupting traffic for sometime.
The city was perhaps unprepared by the recent downpour since the tree branches, which had withered following long spell of dry weather, had not been pruned or chopped.
The Mysore City Corporation is now planning to prepare ahead of more showers (though there is no such sign of rain).
Mayor B.L. Bhyrappa told The Hindu that he had instructed nine zonal offices of the MCC to identify such weak branches and trees and take appropriate steps on priority without any delay.
“I have asked them to get the work done at the earliest since Mysuru is one of the districts that gets ample pre-monsoon showers. In this regard, the MCC teams had been asked to identify and clear the old, weak and dried branches,” he said.
In reply to a question, Mr. Bhyrappa said that the Forest Department’s permission was essential to cut down a tree that poses danger to public safety. “We will coordinate with the department,” he said.
Meanwhile, the staff of the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) is also in the process of pruning tree branches that are precariously hanging on the electricity lines and poles.
“This is a routine job ahead of monsoon. To prevent falling of tree branches on the electrical lines, such branches are trimmed identifying them in the areas coming under all sub-divisions here,” sources in the CESC said.
The falling trees have brought into focus the safety of people and property.
After Monday’s incident, many residents felt that the civic authorities have to urgently identify old and weak tree branches, mainly of huge trees lined along the roads that pose a threat to public safety, and prune or cut them on priority, even before monsoon sets in.
The old and weak trees pose a challenge to the civic authorities, the police and other departments when they crash. Besides causing the loss of life, the falling tree branches and uprooted trees cause damage to public and private property.
Concrete and asphalt put around the tree bases are also one of the reasons for the trees becoming weak with no rainwater percolating its base, eventually crashing down.
