BENGALURU: It’s not just potholes and bad roads. Vehicle users and pedestrians on Bengaluru’s roads should be mindful of dried and low-hanging branches of trees which can pose a threat as they can come crashing down anytime. Lakhs of vehicles criss-cross the city’s roads every days. Citizens allege that the BBMP is completely apathetic towards public safety.
Just last week ago, a dried branch fell on a biker in Basaveshwara Nagar resulting in him sustaining a fracture in the leg. The Forest Department and the BBMP may be waiting for something untoward to happen before they wake up, residents complain.
Ravi Kumar, a resident of Basaveshwar Nagar claimed, “The Forest Department is not pruning trees or trimming branches in time. The BBMP has completely ignored public safety. Dry branches of trees are a danger to school-going children and bikers who ride without helmets. One may may lose his life in case of any mishap. One of my friends was injured after a tree branch fell on his leg and he sustained a fracture. The government is releasing crores of funds to the Palike to maintain trees in the city, but problems are not solved. The BBMP has to remove dried branches at the earliest possible”.