Falling of Coconut Tree Kills Lady in Mumbai- Such Deaths Can Happen in M’luru Too?

Falling of Coconut Tree Kills Lady in Mumbai- Such Deaths Can Happen in M’luru Too?

Falling of Coconut Tree Kills Ex-Doordarshan anchor Kanchan Nath in Chembur-Mumbai- Such Deaths Can Happen in Mangaluru too- since there are many such old coconut trees and dried other trees which pose danger to pedestrians and motorists. Team Mangalorean had highlighted a few hazardous trees in our earlier publications-of which only one tree got cut by MCC recently. How about the other about to fall trees? Is MCC waiting for the trees to kill citizens, just like what happened in Mumbai- even though the owner of the coconut tree had paid advance of Rs 1380 to the Mumbai civic authorities to fell the tree- but was neglected by the corporation. Now the husband of the dead woman is suing the Mumbai city- I wish he gets a proper settlement with lump sum of money, so that Bombay Municipal Corporation could learn a lesson?

Mangaluru: What freak mishap took place in Chembur, Mumbai where a 58-year-old woman lost her life due to a falling of an old coconut tree, could also happen in Mangaluru- when you look at the vast number of old coconut trees are leaning towards the streets/lanes in this coastal town. Not just coconut trees, there are also other huge dried/old hazardous trees which may collapse anytime. Even though Team Mangalorean had spotted some of these hazardous trees which pose danger to pedestrians and motorists- MCC had taken action only to cut down one tree, leaving others to fall on their own on people or motorists- I suppose? Bah humbug!

When a hazardous tree in front of Maharaja Restaurant (near Govt school-Jyothi) on Bunts Hostel Road was chopped down by the MCC for safety reason, during which MCC Mayor Kavitah Sanil and MCC Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer had assured that all hazardous trees in the city that pose danger to motorists and pedestrians will be cut within days. But it seems like it was just talk and promises- because if you look around the city there are quite a few trees which are on the verge of tumbling down. There are a few slanting trees on the NH 66 near Nanthoor Junction and few of them on the Nanthoor-Kadri Chef stretch which may anytime collapse. There are a few trees near Fr Muller Hospital Auto-rickshaw park where the auto-drivers have already complained to the local MLA- who in response said that environmentalists are raising an objection in cutting down trees. But what if the trees fall and kill people- will the environmentalists bring back life to the dead persons? Some of the slanting trees in Mangaluru look most dangerous as they have grown old and now due to heavy rain or wind breeze they may fall to the road at any time.

Now coming to the tragic incident that happened in Mumbai- A benevolent force of nature can sometimes be a deadly blow too. For a woman in Mumbai’s Chembur, a routine walk after a fresh bout of rains on Thursday turned fatal when she was struck by a falling tree. The incident, in all its heart-stopping horror, was caught on a nearby security camera. In the video, Kanchan Nath, aged 58, a former Doordarshan anchor is seen wearing a blue t-shirt and black trousers, when without warning, the tree comes crashing on her. She immediately falls on the ground.

The footage shows Ms Nath, collapsed after a coconut tree suddenly came crashing down on her during the walk. Passersby gathered at the spot and pulled her out from under the tree. Kanchan worked as a yoga instructor and used her spare time to compere music shows which paid tributes to singers such as Manna Dey and Jagmohan. She had a programme to be held at Juhu Millennium Club for which she was busy rehearsing, said Rajat, her husband.

Sources reveal that Ms Nath who was completely unconscious was rushed to the nearby hospital by the passersby, but succumbed to her injuries. Ms Nath’s family has blamed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for her death alleging that the civic body had denied permission to cut the tree that fell on her. Locals demanded that BMC cut it since several months, but the official ignored our request,” said Kanchan’s husband Rajat Nath. Kanchan Nath’s husband said that he will sue the BMC for ‘criminal negligence.’

Rajat has also said that “It was a double jeopardy for me as the Chembur police did not register a FIR over my allegation of criminal negligence. But myself and the students of my wife are determined to pull the civic body to the court.” The husband had said that the tree was on the premises of one Avinash Pol, who had made a proper application to the civic authorities in February, 2017 to cut the tree as it was not in good condition and had even deposited a fee of Rs 1,380 towards the cost of cutting the tree with the Garden Department. But the civic officials denied permission to cut the tree that took away Rajat’s wife’s life. Local corporator Asha Marathe, meanwhile, has written a letter to deputy municipal commissioner to initiate an inquiry into the matter and take action against the responsible civic official.

Now coming back to Coastal City-Kudla- Lately, scores of old trees fell all over the city following strong gales, resulting in damages to vehicles and property. Most of the trees had no room for their roots to spread out and this led to gradual decay. In other cases, growing trees had their branches cut regularly on one side because they leaned on to private property; the trees grew up lopsided and leaned far on to the roads. This means their remaining branches too were regularly being trimmed and they lost strength. The concerned authorities are expected to monitor a city-wide “tree census” to determine how many trees are really a danger to traffic or at risk of falling down during heavy rain and strong winds. Trees which are unable to bear the air pollution and decaying should also be identified. But seems like no one is doing their job right- and as a result, we have trees come crashing down on vehicles etc now and then.

The problem with our MCC authorities is that they wait till the trees fall, and then only take action–like many trees had fallen due to rains recently. The safety of pedestrians and of all road users should be the first and most important priority for National Highway authorities and also local authorities and also for a State body that has a responsibility in this area. Some of these trees may have the disease, which is a clear indication of root rot. Through this report, Team Mangalorean is asking as a matter of urgency that any hazardous trees that pose danger to lives should be chopped down without any second thought. MCC should go around and inspect for bad-old trees, including coconut trees, and that those that appear in any way dubious should be promptly removed before they crash down resulting in injuries or death to motorists or pedestrians. Let us not anticipate for a tragedy that tragedy that took place in Mumbai, which claimed an innocent woman’s life. May her Soul Rest in Peace!

Also read related articles below:

• Leaning Trees on NH-66 at Nanthoor Pose Danger

• Auto-Drivers near Fr Muller Hospital Fear that Trees may Crash on Them

• MCC Takes Precautions, Fells Trees Posing Danger at Jyothi

• Website Impact! MCC Chops Down Hazardous Old Tree near RTO

• Caution! Watch for Falling Trees between Nanthoor and Kadri Chef Stretch