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In Chandigarh, mismanaged tree pruning leaves residents troubled
Traffic police officials confirmed receiving complaints about traffic lights covered with trees, which they said are forwarded to the MC or the UT administration depending on who maintains the roads.
Many residents have been complaining that pruning of trees is not being done properly. While many overgrown trees cover streetlights and traffic lights as they await pruning, branches of trees that have been pruned litter roads for days afterwards, residents allege.
Trees on the road between Sectors 32 and 33 were pruned over a week ago, but the branches have been carelessly tossed along the roadside, encroaching on cycle tracks in some places.
General secretary of the Sector 33B resident welfare association (RWA) Kuljinder Sra said, “Some trees near my house had to be pruned a month ago but the branches have not been gathered yet. Officials of the municipal corporation (MC) and the UT administration keep passing the buck.”
President of Sector 38A and B RWA Joginder Singh said, “There is no uniformity in how trees are pruned. The authorities do it as per their whims and fancies. In many areas, trees have covered streetlights to the extent that they don’t work properly at night, thus endangering citizens’ safety.”
Traffic police officials confirmed that they had received complaints about overhanging branches covering traffic lights. They said the complaints are forwarded to the MC or the UT administration, depending on who maintains the road in question.
The Chandigarh Resident Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) had also highlighted the issue in their meeting recently.
Chairman Hitesh Puri said that all their member RWAs had raised the issue. “We will hold a meeting with the MC commissioner on Tuesday. Improper pruning of trees will be one of the few problems that will be highlighted,” he said.The trees inside the residential lanes in most sectors and along all Paths of the city are pruned by the civic body, while the trees on the Margs are pruned by the UT administration.
Speaking about the problem, MC chief engineer Shailender Singh said, “We have not received any complaints. However, we will get them checked. Instructions have been given to MC workers to clear the pruned branches by the next day.”
