Cyclone Tauktae: Armed with chain saws, Mumbai cops pitch in to clear trees

Chain saws were arranged soon after trees started falling everywhere

Mumbai police stepped in on Monday to help the civic body and citizens clear fallen trees in the wake of cyclone Tauktae. Constables and senior inspectors were found on the road removing trees. DCP Dr DS Swami of Zone XII arranged chain saws for all police stations in his jurisdiction.

Police officers from Dahisar to Vanrai were found on the roads, cutting trees with chain saws amid heavy rain. Most of the fallen trees were in green patches of Kurar and Aarey. Cops were also seen helping senior citizens. "When trees started falling, we realised that the civic body does not have enough staff. They could not have reached so many spots at the same time. Our officers have so far removed 10 fallen trees in Kurar village area. More are being removed in Dahisar and Aarey," said DCP Swami.

Also Read: Day after cyclone Tauktae: Uprooted by storm, trees crash on homes in Mumbai

An officer from Zone XII said, "DCP Swami immediately convened a meeting with senior inspectors of all police stations and instructed us to help people. The control room was constantly receiving complaints that roads are blocked." The policemen continued their work on Tuesday too. More than 80 trees have been cut and removed in the zone.

As part of preparations done ahead of the cyclone, senior officials, too, had instructed zones to keep machines like JCB, chain saws, ropes, and other things ready. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of Meghwadi division Sujata Patil was also seen removing trees. "The situation was very bad in my jurisdiction (Jogeshwari, Meghwadi) and traffic movement was completely choked," Patil said, adding, "BMC and officials from other departments were not able to reach the spot so I took help from residents and our officers to clear roads."