A huge tree standing dangerously tall on the NH66 at Dandeavaddo-Chinchinim had to be axed. Captured by : Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Better late than never, so goes the saying. Exactly a week after a tree fall snuffed the life of a woman rider Odelia Silva at Navelim, the PWD, National Highway has hit the ground with men and machinery at Dandeavaddo-Chinchinim to trim down ageing trees standing dangerously along the NH66 highway.
The Goan, however, understands that as many as 79 trees have been identified and cleared by the district disaster management committee for the trimming of the trees along the highway. The South Goa district Management Authority and the PWD, NH will have to simple question “ when exactly did the district disaster management made the recommendation to prune down or trim the 79 trees along the Margao-Cuncolim stretch and whether there was any delay in the execution of the recommendations.
For, the work of pruning or trimming ageing and dangerous trees ought to have been taken up by the authorities as part of the pre-monsoon works and not when the south west monsoons is expected to retreat anytime now.
Notwithstanding these and several other questions over the delay in executing the work of trimming of the trees dotting along the NH66 between Navelim to Cuncolim, the trimming work started by the PWD, NH has come as a relief to the people of Dandeavaddo-Chinchinim.
Velim MLA Cruz Silva said the authorities should be cautious as well as proactive in respect of executing work on trimming of tree branches. “We have lost a woman from Sarzora last week who had died at Navelim and her daughter injured in the tree fall incident. I along with the Chinchinim village Panchayat had been regularly doing the follow up of the dangerous trees standing along the NH66”, Cruz said, adding that Navelim incident should come as a wake up call for the PWD as well as the district authorities to take up the work of trimming trees well before the onset of monsoons.
Chinchinim Sarpanch Valentino Baretto said the village Panchayat had been knocking the doors of the district Collector, South since 2018 to take up they work of trimming of the ageing trees dotting the Dandeavaddo stretch of the National highway. “The issue of dangerous trees standing on the Dandevaddo stretch was highlighted by the media on several occasions, besides the village panchayat and the local Velim MLA, but in vain”, he said.
While welcoming the ongoing work of trimming trees undertaken by the PWD, NH, the Sarpanch thanked the disaster management panel and the PWD, NH officials for taking up the work.
The Goan understands that the PWD, NH has engaged a contractor to trim or cut down all the 79 trees identified and cleared for trimming by the disaster management committee.
Besides manpower, the contractor has engaged a huge crane to get access to the old and ageing trees to trim and cut down the branches leaning over the highway.
It was on Tuesday last week that the woman rider from Sarzora Odelia Silva died at Navelim when a branch of a cotton tree came crashing down on her while she was proceeding on her scooter to drop her daughter for college.
