Bangalore: Rains uproot 100 trees in one week

BANGALORE: More than a 100 trees were uprooted in Bangalore in the last one week due to heavy rain. Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials blame it on the water percolation pits dug around the roots, which they claim have loosened the soil, causing the trees to fall.On Wednesday, Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy, along with his deputy L Srinivas, ruling party leader N Nagaraj and senior officials visited various parts in south Bangalore to check the damage caused by Tuesday’s rain.According to the Mayor, more than 50 trees were uprooted in Banashankari, Basavanagudi, Padmanabhanagar and surrounding areas.The Mayor told reporters that most of the fallen trees were around four decades old and this was one of the reasons why they were uprooted.However, a senior official from the BBMP blamed it on the Forest Department.“When they (Forest Department) dug up water percolation pits around the trees’ roots, they loosened the soil and damaged the roots, thus making trees vulnerable to external pressure like wind and rain,” the official said.Meanwhile, the BBMP has called for a special meeting with the Forest Department on Thursday to tackle the menace.The Mayor said they have called for a meeting with Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. “There are many trees which are old and weak in the city. We will discuss and ask them to conduct a survey of trees that are old and weak,” he said.He also said that once they get the report, they will call for environmentalists and Forest Department officials to work out a permanent solution.