In spite of a series of accidents caused by collapsing branches that have left three people injured, and three dead last year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's Garden department proposed to buy 12 shredders last week
Talk about a case of misplaced priorities. In spite of a series of accidents caused by collapsing branches that have left three people injured, and three dead last year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's Garden department proposed to buy 12 shredders last week. Shredders can only be used on bushes no higher than four inches, or for crushing fallen branches.
The BMC has only three machines to prune the city's 25 lakh trees and each of the city's 24 wards has at least 350 dead trees that need to be trimmed immediately. The shredders would have cost the municipal body Rs 2.5 crore.
The Garden department placed an order for 12 shredding machines at the meeting held last week, but newly appointed municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar, rejected the proposal.
Tree Authority member Niranjan Shetty told MiD DAY, he was shocked by the proposal. "The BMC's proposal to buy shredding machines is of no help if wards do not have enough pruning machines," said Shetty.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Garden Department) Chandrakant Rokde said, "We have decided to buy trimming machines to meet the demand of the city." Rokde added that the Garden department will now prune trees throughout the year.
In September 2010, MiD DAY had reported how the BMC spent Rs 2 crore on 24 private contractors to dispose trimmed branches.
Accident files
> June 18: 30 year-old Tamanna Bhojani was struck by a falling branch on Mathuradas Road.
> September 27: Annie Fernandes, 36, was returning home from work when the branch of a drumstick tree fell on her, crushing her spine.
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