mid day editorial: BMC must take all citizen complaints seriously

Warning bells are pealing and it is time to hear them and take action right away, deviating from our usual trait of waking up after a tragedy occurs. A report in this paper cited how Garware Club House has written to the BMC to look out for and maintain coconut trees at Marine Drive as there is a real fear of the loose fruit from the tree injuring a person or denting a car.

The trigger for that action is the club's vice president and Colaba BJP MLA Raj Purohit who had a close shave after a coconut missed him and fell on his car. Since the initial alert has been sounded, it was disappointing to read that the BMC has not had a gameplan to look after these trees. We want to see action in double quick time when such complaints are received.

This is not a trivial matter. Hundreds of people are in the area at any given time, especially now since it is the Indian Premier League (IPL) season. It is time the BMC authorities looked into this and installed nets around the trees as a precautionary measure. An internet search throws up that coconuts falling from trees and striking individuals can cause serious injury to the back, neck, shoulders and head. They can be potentially fatal, too.

We need not be alarmist but we have to be prepared. Even a coconut falling on a car which is driving by slowly may cause the driver to lose concentration and result in an accident.

Save the trees but there is a way to handle this situation. The BMC can consult with experts and get working on a solution. This should be done in mind with monsoon just around the corner, when not just coconuts falling, but tree fall incidents go up because of the wind and weather. Treat this with the importance and gravity (pun intended) it deserves.

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