Clear-up operation

It was enough to call for felling all hundreds of fast growing trees lined up by the roadside dividing the Arcade with the main road, after the tragic freak incident at Naga Shopping Arcade on October 12 when two uprooted trees that fell on some vendors, killing one on the spot while another died on way to hospital besides causing serious injuries on seven others. There were previous incidents when uprooted trees fell but thankfully there was no fatality. These trees that lined up the side of the road from beginning from Nagarjan traffic junction to the road leading to the Circuit House had been planted sometime in 1992 as part of plantation drive. The motive was good but the species chosen to be planted on a busy area was not. According to officials of the state’s forest department, tree species planted at the roadside included eucalyptus, rain tree and Putranjiva roxburghii. Eucalyptus trees are fast growing but don’t have wildly aggressive root systems but their roots do grow very quickly and are generally, shallow rooting and are prone to branch breakage, limb drop and complete tree failure at the base of the root plate – which is called wind throw. Most eucalyptus trees and windy conditions don’t go well together. Winds tip the tree back and forth, and the swaying loosens the soil around the trunk base. As a result, the tree’s shallow roots tear, uprooting the tree. The other species is commonly known as rain tree which is also fast growing and also prone to tree-fall caused by strong winds. This is more likely to occur when soils are wet and the tree’s roots are unable to securely anchor themselves in the soil. The other species is Putranjiva roxburghii, an evergreen tree,which grows up to a height of 12 meters. Due to frequent tree-fall incidents activists in Mumbai, activists are demanding that the civic authorities plant only indigenous species in the city. The common factor of all the fast growing tree species is that they are prone to tree-fall and breakage of limb branches. Tree-fall is a major problem which is a threat to people, buildings and electric power lines etc. The trees along the dividing wall, running parallel to the above mentioned road stretch have been largely been left unattended. This is one factor that has increased the potential danger of tree-fall. Now that the over-400 trees are to be felled within a few days, the space would be denuded. It is hoped that authorities will not replace the fallen trees with other species. The lesson from the tragedy should not be repeated and so, no more trees should be replanted at the space from where the trees are being felled. This will help beautify the area and allow visibility of the Naga Shopping Arcade. As the vendors have been relocated to appropriate stalls, it is also hoped that authorities will also impose the ban on roadside/street vendors. This particular stretch of the road used to be packed with all types of vehicles belonging to shoppers and vendors parked on the roadside and thus causing traffic jam. The tragedy has given authorities an opportunity to clear the area of vendors. Also the Development Authority of Nagaland, has to deal with the hordes of vendors crowding the sidewalks within the Arcade by relocating them to alternative place.