Kochi: Kochi Corporation’s contentious drainage work at Panampalli Nagar has claimed a several-year-old rain tree inside the Government Higher Secondary School while the remaining four trees are in a precarious state.
The tree fell on Tuesday a few days after the digging work was over as one of its major roots was chopped off by the workers who dug the drainage close to the trees.
The authorities’ initial plan was to chop off the trees and dig the drainage there but the plans were altered following stiff protests from the natives.
Later, the corporation decided to dig the drainage away from the trees following an order of the DFO not to touch the trees. The then Forest Minister Ganesh Kumar too had come out against uprooting the trees.
“But without showing any sensibility, they dug the drainage close to the trees without drawing the attention of people nearby. One big tree has already fallen and two more are set to follow.
What’s on display here is the utter callousness of the authorities. Strict action should be taken against those responsible for this deed,” said Arun, a resident of the area.
