Heavy rainfall on May 21 has brought down at least 38 trees in Cubbon Park alone, which is the city's largest lung space. Such a large number of destruction is attributed to the gusty wind that accompanied the thunderstorm for a short period of one hour. Broken branches were visible on almost all trees in the park.
While some regular walkers called the large-scale uprooting of trees as unprecedented, others blamed the lack of maintenance by the Horticulture Department. The park, which is home to over 6,000 trees of various species, attracts thousands of walkers from all walks of life.
Officials said a total of 38 trees have fallen with some of them being as old as 40 to 50 years. Even the bamboos have also been destroyed following the storm of winds. “The trees are not being maintained well. The pruning of branches does not happen on a regular basis. The officials are focusing on concretizing the park instead of taking care of trees. The tree roots should be mounded to secure them from any damage. This does not happen,” a walker said.
When contacted, Balakrishna, Deputy director (Cubbon Park) did not respond to calls.