BMC didn't trim tree that collapsed, disrupting Western Railway services

It was hardly the first time that the BMC didn't make the cut when given a job, but this time, it was the railways that had to take the (tree) fall for it

Lower Parel station is a perfect example of how trees can get too close for comfort, posing a safety risk to trains. Pic/Suresh Karkera

It was hardly the first time that the BMC didn't make the cut when given a job, but this time, it was the railways that had to take the (tree) fall for it. On June 28, Western Railway (WR) services were down during the evening rush hour after a tree collapsed on the overhead wires and caught fire. Interestingly, WR had foreseen this, and had asked the Corporation to trim that very tree a month in advance.

A grab from the video of the burning tree that fell on the overhead wires on June 28

Officials from WR and the BMC had a series of pre-monsoon meetings in April-May when the railway authorities requested the civic body to trim around 240 trees that were within 10 metres of the train tracks, posing a risk to the trains in case any of them collapsed.

The BMC did not take it seriously enough. "The BMC cut only 10-12 trees," said a WR official. But as the tree fall on June 28 proved, tree fall is a very real risk for the railways. After heavy rains, a tree collapsed on the overhead wire equipment (OHE) cable between Lower Parel and Mahalaxmi stations and then burst into flames. All south-bound services on the slow line had to be halted between 6.30 pm and 7.30 pm, until worker could remove the burning tree. Several trains were cancelled, while others ran up to 30 minutes late, inconveniencing lakhs of peak hour commuters.

"Even this tree was identified as one of the dangerous ones," said another WR official.

A video of the incident has gone viral online, along with rumours that the train coach was on fire. However, officials confirmed that it was the coach but the fallen, wet tree on top that was on fire. The WR authorities intend to show the video clip to the BMC in a couple of days, to show them how serious the threat is.

"We have resurveyed the entire route once again, and have identified nearly 350 trees that need to be trimmed. We have now included even those trees that within 15 metres of the rail boundary wall. We hope that the BMC understands and cuts those trees so that train services are not affected," said Ravindra Bhakar, chief PRO, WR.

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