Residents upset as MTNL officials fail to prune branches of the tree in their premises, ignoring orders from the civic body

The BMC's stern injunction to the MTNL authorities to trim the branches of the overgrown trees within their office premises appears to have fallen on deaf ears.


An overgrown tree with huge branches within the
MTNL office premises in Prabhadevi

The civic body had sent a letter to the MTNL office last March, asking it to prune a large tree within its premises to make the adjoining pavement safe for pedestrians, but no action has yet been taken, even as the monsoon weakens the branches and endangers lives of pedestrians in the vicinity.

A while back, a giant uprooted tree fell on a mother and child, claiming both lives.
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('Giant tree crushes infant, mom to death') In the wake of this accident, residents living near the MTNL office have been voicing their concerns, protesting against the apathy and lethargy evinced by the MTNL authorities in carrying out their duties.

Tony Fernandes, a resident of Dadar, said, "I submitted a complaint with the BMC last year, pointing out the presence of a large tree with huge branches within the MTNL office premises, in desperate need of trimming. Responding to this, the BMC asked the MTNL office at Prabhadevi to trim the overgrown branches of the trees.

But it's been almost six months since the letter was sent to them, and authorities have still not bothered to do the needful. Who will take responsibility if any of these branches fall on pedestrians, injuring them? Such incidents have taken place recently."

Rupali Panchal, owner of a stall opposite the MTNL office, said, "Several people walk past the road and are afraid that the branches of the huge tree will crash down on their heads.
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Recently, one of the branches of the tree fell but fortunately no one was present at the time of the incident. The large branches of the tree are dangerous."

Officialspeak
Devendra Jain, assistant municipal commissioner, said, "If the authorities at MTNL have not yet trimmed the branches of their trees, then we have no option but to repeat our orders."

The Other Side
Refuting claims of receiving a letter from the civic body, an officer at MTNL said, "We have not received any letter from the G North ward asking us to trim the branches of the trees within our premises.
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We will surely contact the BMC office and ask them to recommend the names of contractors who will provide us with bills, as we have to claim the money from our head office in Delhi.
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It is sure to be an expensive exercise, costing at least Rs 30,000. We cannot pay for it from our own pockets."