Bengaluru: Pay Rs 8,000- 50,000 to remove fallen trees

BENGALURU: Private agencies and workers are charging exorbitant rates to remove fallen trees from residential compounds, cashing in on the huge demand for clearance services after the recent downpour and wind gusts, and on the lack of regulation for such tasks.
They are demanding anywhere between Rs 8,000 to Rs 50,000, depending on the size and age of the downed tree. The price includes charges for chopping the tree and carting away the chunks.
Dozens of trees were uprooted across Bengaluru over the weekend. It is the BBMP’s responsibility to remove green limbs which fall on roads, pavements and other public spaces. However, there’s some confusion over trees which fall or are severely damaged on private property. For now, it’s the headache of people living there.
As the civic body has not empanelled tree cutters and other personnel necessary for the job, the private operators are setting their own rates and rules.
Recently, Jayanagar resident Narasimha K had to pungle up Rs 23,000 for the services of one such agency. The stormy weather had toppled a gulmohar tree in his compound. “The tree was very old and fell amid heavy rain. The agency person said it would have cost less had the tree been healthy. Old or frail trees don’t fetch anything in the market. The workers have to burn them,” Narasimha said.
BTM Layout resident Vipin Kumar also complained about tree cutting and removal charges. “A 15-foot tree in my compound tilted and we feared it would collapse. We called a private agency, which quoted a very high amount; it was absurd,” he said.
It’s not a one-time expenditure as there have been frequent tree collapses in the city. According to the BBMP’s data, over 125 trees and 370 branches have fallen this month. A resident of RBI Officers’ Quarters said municipal workers got rid of only one portion of a tree that had crashed on the road. “For the other half that fell inside our colony, they demanded Rs 6,000,” he said.
Private contractors offering tree cutting services say they charge customers based on the tree’s girth, height and wood type. When this TOI correspondent called one such agency on Wednesday and enquired about the rates as a regular customer, an employee said it would cost Rs 8,000 to cut a 15-foot rain tree. The employee clarified that there would be extra charges for clearing the area.
Nagesh Gowda, a staffer with another agency, said it was an arduous task that required machinery and at least four men. “We have to also pay a transporter to move chopped logs and find a proper way to dispose them of,” he said.
On the steep rates, BBMP deputy conservator of forests MK Cholorajappa said the civic body had no control over such private businesses. “But in many cases, contractors associated with the BBMP are helping residents without charging anything. Our employees may have sought more time to visit residential compounds as their first priority is roads. People who don’t want to wait call up private agencies,” he said.