Mumbai tree fall: School Bus Owners' Association links road concreting to tree collapse

SBOA says road concreting over the years has disturbed the roots of large trees. FILE PIC/ASHISH RAJE

The School Bus Owners' Association (SBOA) has blamed the concreting of roads and movement of heavy machinery for disturbing the roots of large trees, leading to tree-fall incidents.

Structural stability questioned

Speaking with mid-day, SBOA president Anil Garg said the incident could not be dismissed as a mere act of nature, questioning whether pre-monsoon tree audits and inspections had been carried out effectively. "It is important to examine whether large-scale road concreting work across Mumbai in recent years has affected the root systems and structural stability of old trees," he said.

SBOA says road concreting has disturbed the roots of large trees, making them unstable. FILE PIC

Who is accountable?

Anil Garg, president, SBOA
‘On behalf of parents, we have raised questions regarding who would be held accountable for the children's injuries, why preventive measures tend to follow tragedies rather than precede them, and why proactive maintenance isn't treated with greater urgency'

Demands by SBOA

>> An independent, high-level inquiry into the incident
>> A structural safety audit of roadside trees along school bus routes
>> Identification and removal or treatment of hazardous trees
>> Public release of pre-monsoon tree inspection and maintenance records
>> Accountability for officials or agencies found negligent

Wake-up call

Garg asserted that children's safety "must remain non-negotiable". He added that school bus operators would continue maintaining high safety standards within their responsibility, while urging the Maharashtra government, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and other civic bodies to treat the incident as a wake-up call.