Chd incident: DC tells institutes to trace unsafe trees

Ludhiana: A day after a heritage tree fell on students at Carmel Convent School in Chandigarh, killing a Class X girl and injuring 16 others, the director of school education on Saturday instructed educational institutes to take stock of such trees and request forest officials to prune them as per the need.
Government schools have been issued a notice to take corrective measures so that no such incident occurs in the future. A 70-foot-tall tree had fallen on Carmel students in Chandigarh when they were having lunch during recess.
The notice said, “Many trees have been planted near buildings, ground and empty spaces of schools, and children sit under those trees during recess and sports period. So, the institutes should inform the district forest department about trees that are diseased, old or perilous and request for pruning accordingly.”
Ludhiana has been experiencing moderate to heavy rains in the past week and many branches of trees had fallen due to gusty winds. Deputy commissioner Surabhi Malik said, “There is no data of old and heritage trees in Ludhiana. However, the schools will identify such trees. We have written to schools, colleges, PAU and GADVASU to identify unsafe trees.”
Balwinder Lakhewali, an environmentalist, said, “There is no such count, but the heritage trees include ficus, peepal and banyan. Most of old trees are in PAU. Trees like Gulmohar are not preferred for plantation on the roadsides as these get uprooted easily. The government has been suggested to keep a check on trees that are surrounded by concrete and check for proper drainage. The authorities should also take stock of pruning exercise.”
Maninderjit Singh, a member of the Public Action Committee, said, “The administration has never identified old and termite-infested trees. First, they should identify and treat them. It’s not only for schools, but similar monitoring is needed in colleges, parks and public places.”
District forest officer Harbhajan Singh said, “No survey has been carried out on unsafe trees. However, when requested, we mark cases to the Punjab State Forest Development Corporation for pruning.”
Deepak Puri, a parent of school student, said, “The least school authorities could have done was warn its students not to sit under such old trees. For time being, institutions should install boards near such trees to inform student not to sit under them.”