Around 9.30 p.m. on June 26, a loud thud brought a few residents of Thiruvengadam Street in R. A. Puram out of their houses. What they saw would not allow them to return to their couches and resume watching there favourite prime time weekend programmes on television.
A neem tree, believed by most to be 60 years old, had fallen, demolishing a portion of the compound wall of an apartment complex and damaging a car parked on the road.
This accident brings again into focus the issue of tree falls in the region. In recent years, several trees have fallen in R.A. Puram, Mandaveli and Alwarpet. A huge tree fell near Narada Gana Sabha two years ago. During the rains last year, a tree fell in Abhiramapuram, blocking the road for a considerable amount of time. “There was a man in the car. Luckily, he escaped unhurt,” said Gopal, a resident at the apartment complex, whose compound wall was damaged in the recent tree fall at Thiruvengadam Street. He said there were no signs that the tree’s fall was imminent.
When this writer visited the site of the accident, the roots of the neem tree were being removed.
Another resident, living at the complex for 30 years, said the tree could be 80-years-old.
He said the tree was a part of him. Romanticism apart, trees that are weak and old pose a threat to passers-by. It is therefore vital that the Corporation study trees in every locality, checking them for weaknesses.
Some trees may turn brown and look likely to fall, but most others, like the neem tree on Thiruvengadam Street, will not give an indication of their dwindling strength. It takes experts to spot such trees and enable timely action.
