PMC extends drive to trim dangerous tree branches, but citizens say efforts inadequate

Time of India

12 hours ago

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Pune: The civic administration has extended its drive to trim dangerous branches of trees across all wards, amid a brief respite in rain spells and the upcoming Palkhi procession that will go through the city.
Citizens said that the administration should inspect all the trees located along prominent roads and at vulnerable spots to avoid mishaps. A couple of fatalities were reported during the recent heavy rain due to tree falls, prompting Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to expand the scope of its drive to trim dangerous branches.
PMC plans to continue the drive till the end of this week. A civic official told TOI, "As the annual Palkhi procession is about to reach the city in the next few days, we are extending the drive of tree trimming on the Palkhi route as well.
We are also taking help from the fire department in areas where access to trees is difficult."
However, residents claimed that dangerous branches are not being trimmed properly before the arrival of the monsoon, leading to more falling branches this year. Due to the early arrival of rain this year, PMC was additionally unprepared, and falling branches led to closure of several roads, besides damage to properties and vehicles.
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Ashutosh Joshi, a resident of the Parvati area, said, "Instances of tree falls were more this time owing to heavy showers. The administration should rope in more staff to trim dangerous branches as it looks like a lot of work is still pending."
Residents also raised concerns about PMC's ignorance towards trimming dangerous branches on private premises. Shivajinagar resident Ramesh Mehta said, "PMC does not trim the branches on its own if trees are located on private premises.
Due to the high cost involved in cutting, owners do not come forward. PMC should work out a system for such cases, as safety cannot be compromised. Many trees are on private premises, but their branches tilt towards the road.
These must be trimmed without waiting for citizens' applications."
Officials from the PMC's garden department told TOI that the process to submit applications for tree cutting has been simplified. The administration has identified over 20 contractors for such trimming and charges have been fixed to avoid fleecing.
What residents want:
> PMC must trim dangerous branches of trees on busy roads on priority
> Such branches of trees located on private premises must also be cut
> More staff needs to be deployed for this drive