A decades-old tree on the premises of the Legislative Assembly was felled on Saturday (September 23) in a knee jerk reaction to a freak mishap the previous day.
According to experts, the tree, which stood near the Assembly canteen, belonged to Polyalthia species and was 40-50 years old. A few workers climbed the tree and removed its canopy before bringing it down using ropes.
This came a day after another fully grown tree, possibly under the impact of rain, fell on a two-wheeler, spreading panic among visitors. Three weeks ago, a massive tree got uprooted near Old MLA Quarters and fell on an autorickshaw, killing the driver.
Sources from the Forest department said no permission was obtained for felling the tree, which is mandatory as per the WALTA Act, 2002.
Neither the GHMC’s Urban Biodiversity authorities nor the officials from the Horticulture department, who look after the landscaping inside the Public Gardens, were aware of the tree felling.
“It is unfortunate that trees are being pulled down as a knee-jerk reaction to such mishaps. Will they remove all the trees on roadsides on the same pretext?” questioned P. Uday Krishna from Vata Foundation.
Hasty and avoidable
Forestry specialists term the action hasty and avoidable. There are several reasons why trees collapse, including age and disease, and in cities, they could get uprooted due to an imbalance in the canopy owing to the constant trimming on one side.
“Whatever be the reason, there are ways to determine the susceptibility of a tree getting uprooted. Tests should have been conducted before taking the decision,” said a former Forest official under the condition of anonymity.
