Shopkeepers blame BMC for tree collapse in Parel

Two people were injured and three vehicles were damaged in a tree collapse incident outside Income Tax Department office in Parel around 4 pm yesterday. The injured were identified as Ketan Shah (30) and Prashant Khopkar (39). They were rushed to KEM hospital after the 30-year-old peltophorum tree aka copperpod collapsed.

Damage control: Fire brigade personnel try to clear the road outside I-T office where the incident occurred.u00a0Pic/Datta Kumbhar

Holding the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Tree Authority responsible for the incident, local shopkeepers said pruning activities in the area had decreased.

Countering the allegation levelled against them, Tree Authority officials said lack of dumping spaces in the city, to dispose pruned branches, was the reason behind reduced tree trimming activity. They also said locals complain if the waste in dumped on open spaces.

Shah was taken to the minor operation theatre where he received four stitches to his head, as he had sustained minor head injuries. He was discharged soon after. Shah said it happened so suddenly that he never got a chance to escape.

While Shah sustained head injuries, Khopkar was sent to the X-ray room for his shoulder injury following which he couldn't be traced.

A doctor from the casualty ward said, "Though Prashant sustained less injuries than Ketan, we asked him to get an X-ray done of his shoulder.

However, there has been no sign of him since then. When these patients were brought to the casualty, we were not informed that they are victims of a tree collapse." Dadar Fire station Officer V N Sangale said, "When we reached the spot, one of the victims was already in KEM. We rescued the second victim and rushed him to the same hospital." u00a0

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The number of shredding machines the BMC has for pruning trees in all the 24 wardsu00a0