Proactive approach can prevent tree-related mishaps

Is there a need for streamlining the system for removing dead trees on priority?

Float dedicated helpline number

There should be some uniform policy regarding cutting/disposal of dead trees. The UT Administration should float a dedicated helpline number/desk to address such like problems. Time frame and accountability of officials concerned should be fixed by the Municipal Corporation and the Administration.

Vineet Gandhi, Chandigarh

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We are only mute spectators

The Administration and the Municipal Corporation are in deep slumber. Our system is total failure. We are only mute spectators to such accidents. The MC should prune trees before the onset of the monsoon season. Fast winds uproot trees, which are too huge or dead, during this season. The Administration and the civic body do need to pay heed to complaints regarding disposal of dead trees. Every sector has trees, which can damage property.

Opinder Kaur Sekhon, Chandigarh

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Conduct inspection of trees in city

Many trees and their branches inconvenience public due to widening of roads and laying of new cycle tracks. Termites have also affected trees. The Horticulture, PWD and Electricity Departments should conduct joint inspection of trees periodically. Trees, which have to be cut or pruned, should be marked with red paint. It is a known fact that tree branches fall on electric wires resulting in power supply disruption. Safety comes first than greenery.

Col TBS Bedi (retd), Mohali

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Form panel of experts to deal with issue

The Municipal Corporation and the UT Administration must constitute a committee of experts comprising environmentalist, who may first identify all hollow/dead trees in the city by ground visit. The panel can submit its report/recommendations to the competent authority concerned to remove all such trees within stipulated time so that any possible tragedy can be averted.

Harsimran Singh Kamboj, Rajpura

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Remove dead trees before monsoon

Monsoon is already here. It may cause heavy loss of life and property as dead trees often fall during this season. Officials of the Forest Department should earmark an area, identify dead trees and ensure their removal before onset of the rainy season. The Administration and the Municipal Corporation have to establish time bound system for the redressal of complaints regarding disposal of dead trees. Residents also must park their vehicles away from dead trees.

Wg Cdr Jasbir Minhas (retd), Mohali

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A wake-up call for the MC, administration

It's unfortunate that an elderly couple residing in Sector 15 of the City Beautiful suffered injuries after a dead tree fell on their house. This is one of the many incidents that happen on a regular basis due to apathy of the civic authorities and reflects on their functioning in dealing with grievances of the public at large. Hopefully, this particular incident will be a wake-up call for the Municipal Corporation, UT Administration and a time-bound mechanism for expeditious disposal of complaints regarding disposal of dead trees will be put in place.

Dr Dinesh Kumar Verma, Panchkula

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14-day MAX limit to address complaints

The process of assessing dead trees for felling should be time bound. A time limit of 14 days should be set for acceptance/rejection of permission for felling a dead tree. Most of the time paper work, red- tapeism and endless wait make residents suffer, which presses them to give up their cases. Moreover, many times trees existing outside boundary walls of houses such as in parks, green belts and on footpaths also pose danger, but residents can do nothing about them as these don't fall within their premises. The UT Administration and the Municipal Corporation should formulate a mechanism to handle complaints of dead trees on time.

Gurnoor Grewal, Chandigarh

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Take councillors into confidence

Development of Chandigarh started back in the early fifties. The northern sectors have become old and so have trees therein. Old and dead trees always pose a threat to everyone. Due to inevitable strict rules it is impossible for an individual to cut old/dead trees. So, necessary permission has to be sought from the Municipal Corporation. The MC has its own problems. It takes time to take a final decision on such matters. Councillors of respective sectors can be roped in by the MC and the UT Administration to decide about disposal of dead trees. Their advice can expedite the decision making process.

NPS Sohal, Chandigarh

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Whole system needs immediate overhaul

According to the procedure in vogue it takes three months for the removal of dead tree after a complaint about it is filed with the JE of the Municipal Corporation's Horticulture Department. The process of inspection on site by the ground staff, reporting to higher officials, compilation of data, calling tenders and removal of dead trees by contractor needs a complete overhaul. Every dead tree in the city poses a risk to residents.

SC Luthra, Chandigarh

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Admn should have acted on its own

In the first place, why there is always a need to complain and wake up the UT Administration and the Municipal Corporation from their deep slumber. The Administration should itself get into action mode and do the needful for removing dead trees, which pose a serious threat to lives of city residents. In the said case, the elderly couple had complained about the dead tree to the UT Administration, but then also timely action was not taken by the authorities concerned thereby resulting in injuries to the couple.

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi, Chandigarh

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Administraion must protect residents

The UT Administration and the Municipal Corporation need to be proactive. Trees with weak roots getting uprooted in the city is a common sight during monsoon. The Administration must protect senior and young citizens. Why does it keep waiting for some mishap and then take action? Why can't the authorities act on their own?

Garv Bhupesh Verma, Panchkula

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Routine check need of the hour

The UT Administration must take care of residents on priority. Dead trees and those with weak roots pose a danger to all. The Administration and the Municipal Corporation must keep a routine check on such trees and get these axed on time to save life and property of residents.

Anju Mohan, Panchkula

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fix Seven days for complaint redressal

The waiting period for removing a dead tree is no way justified. After survey report by official concerned dead tree should be removed immediately to avoid any untoward incident. The Municipal Corporation and the UT Administration should form a rule as per which desk concerned will deal with such cases on day-to-day basis and recommend for action to the next higher authority. The maximum period for removing a dead tree in the City Beautiful should not exceed seven days.

AK Jindal, Patiala

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Conduct survey of old trees

Dead trees falling on houses or parked vehicles in Chandigarh is a matter of concern. Redressal of residents' complaints about dead trees takes two months, which is against safety norms. The UT Administration must deploy its officials to survey the whole city area to find, treat or cut old trees, whatever the case maybe. Timely action can secure life and property of residents.

MR Bhateja, Nayagaon

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Deal with complaints on a priority

Negligence in removing dead or damaged trees may harm someone. The Horticulture Department needs to be proactive by taking care of trees on routine basis and provide necessary treatment for any damage. Any complaints made by residents about dead trees should be dealt with immediately by the Municipal Corporation and the UT Administration as delay may lead to injury or loss of life as well as damage to property.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

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Use ‘Scratch test’ to identify dead trees

The waiting period of two months to redress residents' grievances regarding dead trees by the authorities concerned isn't justified. Dead trees should be identified in the summer season through scratch or break test so that dormant trees are not taken to be as dead. Dead trees must be removed at the earliest.

Simran Sidhu, Chandigarh

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Process long, Amend laws as per need

Dead trees in the UT are dangerous for life and property. Process for removing dead trees is long. Laws can be amended as per needs. Trees should be regularly checked after 20 days. Tiles and concrete near roots of trees must be removed. Complaints regarding dead trees should be resolved at the earliest.

Sumesh Kumar Badhwar, Mohali

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A lurking danger, but who cares?

It is true that process of cutting dead trees is a long and time consuming. A complaint first goes to the SE then the EE and finally it's marked to the JE, who conducts ground inspection and submits report at the MC office for approval from the Horticulture Department after which the tendering process starts. After completing all formalities contactor removes dead tree. By that time a tree may fall and cause loss to life and property. Therefore, there is need to streamline the system and reduce time for removing dead tree.

Vidya Sagar Garg, Panchkula

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Lethargic response to complaints

The response of the Horticulture Department and the Municipal Corporation to complaints regarding removal of dead trees is lethargic. An easy solution is to make a helpline desk to address such complaints. On receiving complaint it should be forwarded to official of the department concerned, who should take action as per the urgency of the case. The complaints received must be listed and action taken on daily basis. The whole process should be monitored by an official to avoid undue delay in response.

Bubby Soin, Chandigarh

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MC yet to purchase pruning machines

It's shocking to hear about an elderly couple getting injured when a dead tree fell on their house in Sector 15. Last year too, two accidents involving trees falling on vehicles in the city were reported. There is no doubt that trees look good, give oxygen and shelter to commuters and add to city's beauty. Overgrown trees block view of persons driving vehicles. Pruning of trees is must and should be done periodically. The MC authorities are delaying purchase of pruning machines because of internal politics. Axing dead trees without any delay will be appreciated by City Beautiful residents.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

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MC ignoring its work

Excessive use of groundwater, laying of paver blocks and cementing green cover result in drying up of many trees. Roots of some of green trees became hollow as pests had eaten them. Such trees pose danger to life and property during storms. Trees are not pruned in time. The Municipal Coporation (MC) is ignoring pruning of mango trees. The civic body authorities should rope in RWAs to identify dead trees, which can get uprooted during storm.

Col Balbir Mathauda (retd), Chandigarh

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Fix accountability for lapses

Elderly couple getting injured as dead tree fell on their house is a cause of concern. This happened despite the fact that the matter was already reported to the authorities concerned for uprooting the dead tree. There should be a record of all such complaints at the department level. Head of the department should ensure redressal of all such complaints. Many public service-oriented departments are complacent due which citizens are at the receiving end. The UT Administration should fix accountability for all such lapses where grievances have not been addressed in a reasonable time. Citizens' Charter should be in place for all services provided by the UT Administration and the Municipal Corporation, indicating timeline for the disposal of all complaints received.

Dr Anil Kumar Yadav, Chandigarh

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Allow public to remove trees

No complaints regarding removal of dead trees should be pending. Its duty of workers of the Horticulture Department to conduct periodic survey of all city areas to find dead trees. Residents' complaints to the authorities concerned are never resolved until some mishap is reported. The general public should be given the power to remove dead trees after uploading their pictures on site of the department concerned and social media.

Savita Kuthiala, Chandigarh

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Survey, early removal the only solution

There are hundreds of dead trees in the City Beautiful posing threat to residents and their properties. Some trees spring over roads and adjoining houses, which can get damaged in storms. Dead trees should be removed in a specific deadline fixed by the authorities concerned. A survey should be conducted for dead trees and their early removal must be ensured. Overgrown trees near buildings should be pruned to prevent damage to power cables and public properties.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma, Chandigarh

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Cut red tape to redress grievances

It's disheartening that the present official procedure adopted by the UT Administration takes about two months time for redressal of grievance concerning dead trees. Residents are at high risk as dead trees often get uprooted in the monsoon season. In order to cut red-tapeism a responsible official should be designated as a nodal officer to coordinate with different departments concerned and seek online approvals to reduce the procedural time for dealing with complaints related to dead trees to 10 days.

RPS Chopra, Chandigarh

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Monitor complaints at the senior level

The answer to question if the system needs to be streamlined to deal with complaints related to dead trees on priority is affirmative. Besides apathy and the indelible 'chalta hai' attitude, lack of responsibility and accountability of officials concerned is the main culprit. This warrants a drastic change. Officials need to put their own foot in complainant's shoe to feel the pinch. Priority to attend complaints should be fixed as per the gravity of the situation. Senior citizens deserve priority for redressal of their complaint or ordeal. Pending complaints with time lag should be monitored at senior level daily.

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

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Deploy official in each ward

The Horticulture Department should hire new staff or give tender to a private firm so that the process to remove dead trees can be streamlined. The Municipal Corporation (MC) and the UT Administration can designate an official for each ward to conduct survey of dead trees in his/her respective area. The MC and the Administration can also decide the minimum amount, which has to be deposited, for the removal of the dead tree without any delay.

Avinash Goyal, Chandigarh

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System needs quick revamp

While on a random visit to various parts of the city, the scary sight of some dead trees dotting the residential areas may give you the willies. An elderly couple was grievously injured after a dead tree fell on their house in Sector 15. This is notwithstanding the fact that the couple had already lodged a complaint to the authorities concerned about the dead tree standing precariously over their house posing a potential danger to their lives and property. The sad part of the story is that it takes almost two months or so for the authorities concerned to redress complaints regarding dead trees. The existing system needs a quick revamp so as to streamline the process of disposing of complaints of the people. The Administration and the Municipal Corporation need to conduct a random survey of the city to identify the number of dead trees and remove them sooner than later and save precious lives.

Ramesh K Dhiman, Chandigarh

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Repercussions of climate change

All are aware of the climate change circle spinning at an increased rate. Its repercussion is stepping forth and showing furious side of the nature. The issue of dead trees falling can also be linked with untimely weather fluctuations for which the UT Administration and the Municipal Corporation should gear up. Red-tapeism must be cut to accelerate redressal of complaints regarding removal of deal trees to prevent mishaps like the one in Sector 15.

Aseem, Chandigarh

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Make all-out efforts

The Municipal Corporation and the UT Administration swing into action only after unfortunate incidents and fatalities are reported. Instead of playing with lives of residents, departments concerned should awaken and make all out efforts to prevent incidents like the one in Sector 15 by plugging loopholes wherever required.

SK Khosla, Chandigarh

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Transfer plaints to higher officials

The process for the redressal of complaints regarding dead trees needs to be streamlined and made efficient. The authorities should prioritise such complaints as no action can be life-threatening for citizens. The tendering process and other formalities should be simplified. Complaints should be transferred to higher official for quick action.

Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh

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Take erring officials to task

Firstly, why aren’t complaints related to removal of dead trees addressed within a week. Secondly, the Horticulture Department staff never listens to residents pleas to prune overgrown trees. This has created a scary situation. No one knows when an overgrown or dead tree will get uprooted during storm and damage property or even bring physical harm to residents of the City Beautiful. There are overgrown mango trees at Terraced Garden in Sector 33 garden, which have never been pruned. Some are old and can get uprooted anytime. Besides, the annual contract for plucking mangoes from trees in Terraced Garden has not been given to any contractor for the past many years. This has lead to increase in theft incidents as people, who climb trees for plucking mangoes, often scale rear walls of nearby houses and steal sanitaryware. The MC and the UT Administration should launch a dedicated help desk for the redressal of complaints related to removal of dead trees. Lapses on part of officials concerned must be taken seriously and they be taken to task.

Harmeet Kaur Dhaliwal, Chandigarh

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QUESTION

Unscheduled power cuts amid an intense heatwave across Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali have left residents fretting and fuming. The rising demand for power has exposed lapses in infrastructure and preparedness to deal with such a situation. What steps should be taken to ensure residents don’t reel under long power cuts in the tricity?

Suggestions in not more than 70 words can be sent to [email protected]