Ghaziabad: Ahead of the monsoon, residents in Ghaziabad have asked authorities to set up a quick-response team to deal with emergencies involving overgrown trees, on the lines of a system in Delhi. In a letter to GMC, they pointed to frequent incidents of old trees getting uprooted during heavy rain and disrupting traffic.The move comes a couple of days after a devastating thunderstorm swept the state, killing at least 117 people, uprooting trees and electric poles, and collapsing houses.According to the 2023 Forest Survey of India report, Ghaziabad has a green cover of 21 sq km across rural and urban areas. The old, overgrown trees in residential areas pose a risk of hazards, especially during monsoon months. Residents believe that early identification of such trees and timely measures through response teams can mitigate risks to life and property.A resident of Abhay Khand, Rajesh Singh, said, “Every season we see incidents of trees falling on power cables, cars parked under them, or in the middle of the road. If damaged and old, dilapidated trees are identified in advance and checked for possible mishaps with preventive steps, a large extent of road and commuter safety could be ensured.”Residents have demanded systematic preventive pruning measures of large tree branches that pose risks to power lines and roadways. “The Delhi govt has deployed response teams across all districts to ensure the immediate removal of trees and branches that fall on roads during rain or storm. Ghaziabad is also affected by similar weather conditions. So, we urge the GMC officials to implement our recommendations swiftly,” a resident of Shalimar Garden, Pradeep Gupta, said.While officials of the horticulture department said trees are being pruned regularly, GMC’s response on setting up response teams is still awaited.
