The death of nine-year-old school girl Rachel Pricha after lying in a coma for 701 days following a head injury caused by a tree branch fall, once again calls attention to an unsound urban greening policy that has been pursued for years, besides the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike's (BBMP) callousness in attending to its civic duties. While the then Mayor and Commissioner had visited the hospital and promised to bear the medical expenses of the girl who had spent about a year in the ICU, not much is known about the fate of the complaint registered at the jurisdictional police station against BBMP for causing death due to negligence. Nonetheless, the government should compensate the parents, though no amount of money can bring back their loved one to life. While such accidents involving nature cannot be completely avoided, the falling of trees or branches leading to death, injury or damage to property which has become a common occurrence in Bengaluru, is mostly a manmade problem.
The fault basically lies with BBMP continuing with the British legacy of sowing exotic trees which are not endemic to India. According to experts, 70% of the trees in the city are of the exotic variety, which cannot withstand strong winds or heavy rains. Though environmentalists have listed over 600 native varieties which can face the vagaries of nature, their suggestion has been consistently ignored. While many native trees continue to stand tall even after 100 years, the exotic ones lack such staying capacity. Another major problem is the unscientific trimming of branches that come in contact with overhead electric lines which tends to tilt the balance of trees making them more vulnerable to fall. Cementing footpaths around trees prevents the roots from pumping water while puncturing the trunk using nails further adds to the stress and reduces the lifespan. In addition, the roots of the trees get weakened due to frequent digging of roads.
While it is high time that BBMP evolves a scientific tree policy in consultation with experts, it should conduct regular surveys to remove weak trees and branches so that they do not pose a threat. Unfortunately, the civic body has come to believe that it is above the law since none of its officers has been jailed for deaths or injuries caused due to falling trees, potholes or bad footpaths. Officers from the Chief Commissioner downwards should be made personally accountable and liable for their acts of omission and commission so that ordinary citizens do not have to lose their life and property due to the sheer insensitivity and ineptness of the bureaucracy.